BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The police at the Zone 11 Command, Osogbo, Osun State, have dragged three men before an Osogbo Chief Magistrate’s Court for allegedly breaking into a farmland belonging to one Ajiboye family.
The police informed the court that the defendants, including Iyanda Fatai, 50; Iyanda Hammeed, 55; and Ibrahim Adepoju, 65; armed with a dane gun and charms, conspired with others at large and broke into a farmland at Korolade Elemo village in Iragbiji.
According to the police prosecutor, Inspector Anifowose Saheed, the defendants damaged the survey pillars and some of the economic trees such as kola nut, cocoa trees, and cassava, valued at N3million, property of the Ajiboye family.
The charge against them reads, “That the defendants and others now at large, sometimes in year 2020 at Korolade Elemo, Iragbiji, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit malicious damage, conduct likely to cause breach of peace, threatening violence and forceful entry.
“Iyanda Fatai and Iyanda Hammeed and others now at large at the same date, time and place, did cause breach of public peace by forcefully entering into the farmland situated at Korolade Elemo village in Iragbiji which is the actual and peaceful possession of Ajiboye family represented by Hamsat Ajiboye, Araoye Ajiboye, Saheed Ajiboye and Mojeed Ajiboye.
“That Ibrahim Adepoju, on September 22, 2021 at Elemo village, unlawfully have in your possession one dane gun without (a) licence or authority. You also have in your possession criminal charms while you are trying to prevent members of Ajiboye family from entering their farmland.”
The trio were alleged of committing offences contrary to and punishable under sections 516, 81, 451, 259(d), and 213 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of the state, 2002.
The prosecutor said that Adepoju committed an offence contrary to Section 4 and punishable under Section 27(1)(b)(i) of the Firearms Act, Cap F 28, Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.
They pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge slammed against them.
The defence counsel, B. O. Abass, prayed the court to grant the defendants bail in liberal terms on presentation of reliable people to stand their sureties.
Chief Magistrate A.A. Adebayo granted the trio bail in the sum of N1 million with one surety each in the same amount.
He ruled that the sureties must be resident within the Iragbiji Magisterial District and must be owners of landed property in the area.
The magistrate said that the addresses of the sureties should be verified by a court official and the prosecutor.
He adjourned the case for mention at the Iragbiji Magistrate’s Court on October 26, 2021.
