A 19-year-old comedian, Eyinatayo Iluyomade, has been remanded in prison custody after he pranked workers at a First Bank branch in Ondo Town, Ondo State with a robbery threat.
The police charged the accused to court on three counts bordering on conspiracy, threat, and manner likely to pose a security threat, Vanguard reports.
Police prosecutor, Akao Moremi told the court that the accused dropped a note at the counter that at 1 pm same day, his armed robbery gang would storm the bank to rob it.
The prosecutor said that the action posed a security threat to the FirstBank’s Sabo branch, in Ondo Town, and also caused other banks in the vicinity to close down for the day.
However, when the charge was read to him, the accused pleaded not guilty.
Iluyomade told the court that he is a comedian and that the note that he dropped at the bank was a prank.
He added that he had been doing this in Lagos until he relocated to Ondo town.
“This is the first time I am playing the prank in Ondo. There is no other gang that wanted to rob the bank as it was written in the note,” the accused told the court.
He pleaded with the court to have mercy on him and he would not repeat such a prank in the future.
The defence counsel, Hawkins Akinnugba, applied for the bail of the defendant in most liberal terms, an application which the police prosecutor opposed on the grounds that the accused would tamper with course of investigation as there were other criminal elements behind the threat.
The trial Magistrate, Mosunmola Ikujuni, refused the bail application pending the apprehension of other members of the ‘criminal gang’.
“If on the next adjournment date, the prosecution is yet to apprehend all other criminals involved in the matter, then the court will do the needful,” the magistrate said before adjourning the case for ruling on the bail application.