Palpable tension enveloped an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday when a suspect, Ayoko Oluwatobi, attempted to commit suicide.
Oluwatobi, 25, is standing trial before Justice Hakeem Oshodi, whose courtroom is situated on the second floor of a two-storey building and directly opposite the second gate of the court complex.
The defendant is facing a six-count charge bordering on causing grevious bodily harm, damage to property and membership of an unlawful society.
After his counsel moved his bail application, praying the court to admit him to bail on a liberal term, prosecution objected to it, saying that the defendant was a flight risk.
After listening to both lawyers, Oshodi adjourned the case until April 9 for ruling on the bail application.
Apparently dissatisfied with the adjournment, the defendant started tapping prosecution team members, saying they were his friends and should release him.
When he was being taken out of the courtroom, the defendant started headbutting the wall, shouting: “I want to die, I can’t wait till April.”
He climbed the window of the courtroom in an attempt to jump down from the two-storey building.
It took the intervention of policemen attached to the court and a correctional service officer to stop the defendant as they were able to hold one of his legs.
