A 52-year-old farmer in Ekiti State, Mr. Olomi Arogundade, has cried out over an alleged breach of the law concerning the illegal take-over of a farmland owned by his late father, Suberu Arogundade.
Arogundade, a native of Ise Ekiti in Ise Orun Local Government Area of Ekiti State told our correspondent that his father, Suberu Arogundade of Omiomo Street, Ise Ekiti, owned a farm land at Edu village, Agbado road in Ise Ekiti during his life time.
But following a trespass on the land, he said that his father sued the duo of Sunday Ogun muyite and Ojo Ogunmuyite (now late) in 2001.
According to him, “The customary court in Ise Ekiti on the 5th day of December 2006,
delivered its judgement in favour of my father and against the defendants.” He, however, alleged that despite the 2006 judgement, which favoured the plaintiff, the defendants’ children, Boyede Ogunmuyite and Toyin Ogunmuyite, still continued to trespass on the Edu farmland, unlawfully harvesting crops belonging to him, threatening his life and bragging that nobody could stop them.
The Solicitor to Arogundade Olomi, Mr. M. A. Daramola, who took over the matter from Mr. L. O. Ogundele, explained that the father of his client was the plaintiff in a land matter with suit number ISECC/24/2001:Suberu Arogundade vs Sunday Ogunmuyite
and Ojo Ogunmuyite, determined by the Customary court in Ise Ekiti and in which
judgement was delivered in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendants in 2006.
He noted that, “The judgement specifically declared the defendants’ children, wives
and whosoever from further trespass on the cocoa farm.
“Our client, Olomi Arogundade assumed the management of the farm thereafter to take care of his father and family as his father took ill, but the children of the defendants in
that case have since been disturbing the lawful enjoyment of the fruit of judgement.
Daramola added, “The defendants in that case, who are now dead, were represented
by Owoseni Ajayi and Associates. The judgement remains binding as there was no appeal
against the decision of the court.”
Daramola said that following the 2006 judgement, the two children of the defendants
of the case- Boyede Ogunmuyite and Toyin Ogunmuyite- still continued to trespass on the
farm land by harvesting crops and issuing threats to the child of the plaintiff (Olomi Arogundade).
“Consequent upon this, the matter was reported to the police; the police took over the handling of the case with the Chief Magistrate Court in Ekiti State. The accused person
in the first charge is charged for threat to life while the accused person in the second charge is charged for stealing of cocoa seeds from the farm of the complainant,”
he said.
Arogundade’s counsel alleged that contrary to the above development,”Ekiti State Ministry of Justice suddenly took over the case from the police prosecutor”, which, according to him, was “in order to serve the personal interest of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, whose chamber has been representing the accused persons as
solicitors and advocates.”
