Court jails traditional ruler over communal crisis
The traditional ruler of Ayetoro, in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State,Oba Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment over a violent crisis in his Ayetoro community in 2018.
Penpushing reports that the monarch was convicted by the State High Court in Akura alongside five others which include Victor Akinluwa, Isaac Ikuyelorimi, Lawrence Lemamu, George Eyekole and Segun Okenla.
The royal father was cleared of robbery charge but found guilty of breach of the peace but cleared him of the charge of robbery, while all the accused were guilty of three out of the 10 counts charge preferred against them by the state government.
Penpushing further reports that the convicts were accused of conspiracy to commit felony to wit: malicious damage to property which is in contrary to Section 451 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.”
The accused were also accused of robbing one Temitope Olowodasa of N270,000.00 in his house while armed with guns and cutlasses, and the prosecution said the offences are contrary to Section 1(2) (a) and (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap R11, Vol. 14, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Penpushing also reports that the convicts and others at large were also accused of robbing another person, Igoli Akinlana, of four industrial sewing machines valued at N800,000, four Plasma televisions valued at N448,000 and a cash sum of N635,000.
The prosecutor in same vein accused Eyekole, one of the convicts of attempt to murder one Olu Obolo by shooting him with a gun, an offence in breach of contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Penpushing reports that the prosecuting counsel, Babatunde Falodun, told the court that Ojagbohunmi and others were brought before the court over violence that happened in Ayetoro in January 2018 among other charges.
‘That you Oluwambe Ojagbohunmi, Victor Akinluwa, Isaac Ikuyelorimi, Lawrence Lemamu, George Eyekole and Segun Okenla on or about the 11th of January, 2018 around 9.00 a.m. at Aiyetoro community, Ilaje Local Government in the Okitipupa Judicial Division did conspire with others now at large to commit felony to wit: Armed Robbery’, the charges read.
‘Oluwambe Ojagbohumi, Victor Akinluwa, Isaac Ikuyelorimi, Lawrence Lemamu, George Eyekole, Segun Okenla and others now at large on or about the 11th of January, 2018 around 5.30 a.m. at Aiyetoro Community, Ilaje Local Government in the Okitipupa Judicial Division did rob Ashogbon Omowale in his house of his laptop and a sum of N380.000.00 and at the time of the robbery, you were armed with offensive weapons to wit: guns and cutlasses’, it added
Penpushing further reports that all the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them, but the court found them guilty and convicted them of malicious damage to property contrary to section 37 of the criminal code, laws of the State.
The judge Justice Daivid Kolawole while discharged and acquitted the convicts of the charge of armed robbery and conspiracy, however, gave an option of fine for counts six, seven and eight that related to malicious damage to property
Penpushing also reports that the judge however, sentenced Eyekole to five years in prison with hard labour for the attempted murder of Obolo in the Ayetoro community, while the convicts are to pay N300,000 each as value for the damaged properties and N50,000, as an option of fine for the offences committed.
The judge, however, ordered that the convicts should sign a memorandum of understanding to maintain peace in the community, stressing that they(convicts) would be held responsible for any breach of peace in the community if they opted to pay the fine but breach the peace agreement.
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