Land tussle: Police arraign Ondo monarch

From Bamigbola

Gbolagunte, Akure

THE Olugele of Ugele in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Clement Aladesaye was last Friday arraigned before an Akure Magistrate court for allegedly sponsoring the destruction of properties belonging to the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.

  According to the prosecution, the properties allegedly destroyed by the traditional ruler are worth millions of naira. The Olugele was arraigned on a six-count charge.

  He was alleged to have forcefully entered into the land occupied by the college to execute the judgment of the state High Court in 2012, which declared him the real owner of the land.

However, the college had appealed against the judgment at the Court of Appeal but the appellate court was yet to deliver judgment in the case.

The charge sheet read in part: “That you Clement Ajayi Aladegbaye Falodun and others now at large, between 3rd April and 20th day of June, 2017 at about 8:00am at Benin garage area of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure in the Akure magisterial district, did forcibly enter into the land in actual and peaceable possession of Federal

College of Agriculture in a wrongful bid to enforcing declaratory judgment in Suit number AK/279/2012 by self-help without obtaining Order of Possession and Writ of Possession of the land in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace or reasonable apprehension of the breach of the peace and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 81 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37,Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2016.”

  The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges even as his counsel, Mr.Dapo Agbede argued that the court had no power to hear the case.

Agbede said there was a subsisting judgment over the matter at the upper court, saying, “the case has been determined by the higher court and there is a perpetual injunction restraining the complainant from going into the land. The higher court has adjudged the man (Aladesaye) as the real owner of the land.”

  But the counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Dan Olawale objected to his submission, saying it was premature. 

  The trial Magistrate, Mrs. A.I Ajayi, however, observed that there were mistakes in the charge sheet prepared by the prosecutor and ruled that the status quo should remain pending the time the court would rule on the plea of the accused.

She adjourned the case to July 5, 2017.

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