•SirJarus and wife, Ayoola
A magistrate court sitting in the Ogba area of Lagos has asked an online influencer, Suraj Oyewale popularly known as SirJarus to attend counselling sessions at the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
The agency is to furnish the court with a report of the sessions on the next adjourned date of September 30, 2024, reports Channels TV.
Magistrate Lateef Owolabi gave this as one of the conditions for striking out the two-count domestic violence charge made by the police against the defendant, SirJarus.
The other condition was for the online influencer to stay off the X platform for one month.
At the proceedings in court yesterday, the two-count charge was read to the defendant and he promptly pleaded not guilty.
His wife, Mrs Ayoola Oyewale, subsequently moved to withdraw the case against her husband.
She said, “My husband has not laid hands on me before. I want to withdraw the case. My husband has not beaten me and he still sent me to Hajj last year. I want peace with him. Even though we have issues, we settle like every reasonable couple and so I want to withdraw the case.”
The police prosecutor, Supol Ikhayere, had no objection to the request to withdraw the case.
The representative of the DSVA in court also had no objections to the request but asked that the defendant be made to undergo counselling at the agency and also to use his tweets and X platform to condemn domestic violence.
In his ruling, Magistrate Owolabi said, “I have reviewed the application of the complainant and I am satisfied she intends to withdraw the complaint upon which the charge is founded. The case revolves around a family affair. Though the issue has gone viral, the court can still resolve this matter on terms”.
The Magistrate stated, “I shall strike out these charges on the following conditions:
“The defendant shall put down his Twitter blog for one month.
“The defendant shall attend counselling sessions at the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, and the agency shall furnish the court with a copy of the report”.
The matter was then adjourned to September 30, 2024, for compliance with the agency’s report.
Counsel for SirJarus, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu told our correspondent via telephone that “the couple are back at home together”.
