Abeokuta: By Andy BABATUNDE
Published, Thursday, September 21, 2023
AN OBAFEMI-OWODE CHIEF MAGISTRATE COURT in Ogun State recently sentenced Baale of Kori Oja village, one of Igbein villages in Egba Alake section of Egba land, Chief Saheed Ogunsolu and Fatai Oladokun (a.k.a. Fighter) to nine and seven years imprisonment respectively on a 9-count charge bothering on conspiracy to committing felony to with assault and threat to life to violation of court order and fraudulently obtaining a writ of possession for land at Oko-Araferin village, belonging to Badmus Rilwan Babatunde from the court by claiming to be the benefactor in a judgment.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. E. O. Idowu pronounced Baale Kori-Oja, Chief Saheed Ogunsolu guilty of the nine-count charge and sentenced the convict to one year imprisonment on each of the charges with option of N50,000 fine on each of the 9 charges which amount to N450,000 for being a first offender.
His accomplice, Fatai Oladokun (alias Fighter) was convicted of seven years imprisonment having been found guilty of seven of the nine-count charge, one year imprisonment on each of the seven counts with option of fine of N50,000 each of the seven counts, amounting to N350,000 fine for also being a first offender.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Adewusi Ojo told the court that the convicts committed the offences 1-9 contrary to and punishable under Section 516, 351, 86, 517, 415, 249(d), 133(9) and 418 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006 on December 30, 2021 and November 10, 2021 respectively.
Ojo claimed that the convict, Chief Saheed Ogunsolu, Baale Kori-Oja had fraudulently obtained on November 10, 2021 the writ of possession on 11 acres of land from Grade 2 Customary Court, Obafemi-Owode in Suit No. OOCC/225/2019 in which the judgment delivered on October 5, 2020 does not favour him.
The prosecution counsel further told to the Chief Magistrate that on December 30, 2021 the convict, Saheed Ogunsolu took a van load of police operatives and thugs to execute the fraudlent possession order of the court on three acres for which judgment was given against him.
He added that the thugs led by one Fatai Oladokun (Fighter) unleashed terror on the family of Yekini Badmus whose son, Rilwan Babatunde Badmus was beaten up and his block industry, mango and pawpaw trees estimated at over one million naira were maliciously damaged and destroyed.
The convict, Chief Saheed Ogunsolu, Baale Tori-Oja had earlier sued Chief Alao Adekanmbi to the Obafemi-Owode Grade 2 Customary Court in Suit No: OOCC/225/2019. The judgment was delivered on October 5, 2020.
The customary court, led by its President, Hon. A. Yinka Fashina (A.I.C.M.C.), before giving its judgment had ordered a visit to the land in dispute to determine the location of the disputed land whether it was located on Kori Oja village land or Oko-Araferin village land.
The trial court in its judgment inter alia states thus: “Defendant is hereby perpetually awarded the possession of the three (3) acres of land in disputed situated and being at Oko Araferin village in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State”.
On learning that the defendant, Chief Alao Adekanmbi was dead, the convicted Baale Kori-Oja quickly rushed to the customary court to obtain Possession Order which was executed by the police and thugs on December 30, 2021.
When the victims, Mr. Yekinni Badmus complained through the Baale-in-Council, Oko Araferin to the Chief Registrar of Customary Court of Appeal, Abeokuta, the Chief Registrar apologised for the infraction and promised to punish the culprits and advised the victims of extra-judicial enforcement to approach the trial customary court to nullify the illegal writ of possession.
Another petition was despatched through Barr. Akin Adubi to the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command complaining of wrongful execution of a fraudulently obtained court possession order. There was no indication that the Police high command cares at all.
The questions are, how was it possible to get possession order from the same court that dismissed the claims of the convicted Baale? Why did the police fail to discover the fraud? Didn’t the police read the judgment along with the possession order? Were the court registrar and the police officer who perpetrated this crime punished?
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