By Femi Adewale
Police authority in Ondo State, has dragged a middle aged man, Oyeniyi Aro, before a Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting at Odode-Idanre in Idanre local government area of the state, over forceful invasion and malicious damage of farmlands in the area.
Aro was dragged before the Court on a five-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, forceful entry to a portion of land, and illegal grabbing of land belonging to Akinmade and Akinwalere families.
The defendant however, pleaded not guilty to the allegations preferred against him.
It would be recalled that the Police Prosecutor, Omoniyi Lebile, in the course of arraignment had informed the court that the defendant forcibly entered a farm belonging to the families of Akinmade and Akinwalere in the Idanre community.
Lebile informed the Court that he would be calling five witnesses to prove the offences allegedly committed by the defendant and consequently applied for an adjournment to enable him study the case file.
Counsel to the defendant, Samuel Omomowo, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms saying the offence is bailable, while assuring the court that the defendant would not jump bail.
But the Police Prosecutor opposed the application, arguing that the defendant would jump bail, disclosing that the defendant had earlier failed to appear before the police when he was granted administrative bail by the police.
Lebile told the court that the defendant also refused to honour police invitation and became evasive until the police tracked his phone number before he could be arrested.
He further informed the court that after being granted administrative bail by the police, the defendant abused the privilege as he refused to show up on subsequent police invitations until he was tracked down again and charged before the court.
Counsel to the families of Akinmade and Akinwalere, O. S. Akintububo Esq while making his submission, argued that the defendant is a flight risk as he has no known place of abode.
According to him, when civil suit was filed against the defendant, to serve him court processes became very difficult as no one knew his place of abode.
The counsel to the two families noted that the action of the defendant is not only reprehensible but capable of causing communal clash between Akure and Idanre.
He explained that the defendant hails from Osun State but mischievously raised false alarm that the cocoa farmlands of Akinmade and Akinwalere families are located on Akure Forest Reserve which turned out to be false as confirmed by the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Akintububo urged the court to take into cognisance the interest of justice in considering the bail of the defendant
However, the court granted the defendant the bail in the sum of N2m and two sureties in like sum.
The trial Magistrate said the two sureties must be within the jurisdiction of the Court, must swear to an affidavit and to submit two passport photographs with means of identification while their houses must be within jurisdiction and to be verified by court’s police orderly.
