Court Remands 70-Yr-Old, Others For ‘Damaging Ex- LAUTECH VC’s Property’

 

By Solomon Odeniyi

A magistrate’s court sitting in Osogbo, State of Osun, has remanded three men in Ilesa Correctional Centre for allegedly damaging 10 corner pieces on a parcel of land owned by a former Vice-Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). Prof. Benjamin Adeleke.

The suspects are: Mustapha Oyebode (65), Tajudeen Babatunde (70) and Kadejo Abdulkabir Temitope (35).

According to the charge sheet read in court yesterday, the trio assaulted Adeleke’s younger brother, Oyeyemi Taiwo and carted away his properties.

The accused persons are said to be from Oyero Lagada family of Osogbo, which has been contesting the ownership of the said land with Adeleke, in spite of two different court rulings dismissing their claims. 

In a two separate judgments obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, Justice A.O Oyebiyi-led court dismissed the suits filed by the trio on behalf of their family against Adeleke on July 1, 2020 and September 24, 2020. 

But the trio did not cease from challenging Adeleke’s ownership of the land.

Yesterday, they were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, willful and malicious damage and assault.

They were alleged of assaulting Taiwo, who was having a poultry farm on the land by beating him up with blows and sticks.

Tawio’s phones valued at N50, 000 were maliciously damaged by the accused persons, according to the charge sheet.

The charge sheet stated that the suspects committed the offence on February 27, 2021 at Agunbelewo Area, Osogbo.

But the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges, just as their counsel, Nurudeen Kareem pleaded with the court to admit them to bail.

But the Magistrate, Mr. Adeyeba Adekanmi turned down the oral bail application, directing the defence counsel to make a formal bail application.  

He ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison, just as he adjourned the matter till March 12, 2021 for mention.