Ex-Osun LG boss, three Beninois, others jailed for felling
An Iwo Chief Magistrates Court sitting in Osogbo on Thursday sentenced a former local government area chairman, Mr Tajudeen Babatunde, to a four-year jail term, for offences bordering on conspiracy, malicious damage and arson.
Babatunde had previously served as caretaker chairman of Iwo West Local Council Development Authority.
Others who were sentenced alongside Babatunde after their trial in suit number: MIW/68c/2019, include three Beninios, namely; Sunday Ajoko, Jonas John and Kohonu Deboye, while Adeoye Alabi and Kasumu Ajao, said to be in his 80s, were also jailed by the court.
All six defendants were arraigned on four counts bordering on conspiracy, malicious damage, and arson. They were found guilty on all counts and subsequently sentenced to a four-year-jail term.
The presiding magistrate, A. Famuyide, however, gave Ajao an option of an N80,000 fine considering his age and ill health.
The defendants and others yet to be apprehended were said to have, on or before February 16, 2019, at the Ayigbiri Orupekere farm located along Iwo/Ibadan road in Iwo, Osun State, cut down about 400 palm trees and other economic trees valued at about N10m.
They were also accused of setting the farm ablaze after the trees were cut down.
The nominal complainant in the matter, Oosa Olaniyi family in Iwo, through its counsel, Mr. Dele Abbas, had written to the Osun State Ministry of Justice to take over the prosecution of the matter from the police, a request that was granted by the government.
Upon concluding hearing on the matter, Magistrate Famuyide had on Wednesday convicted all the defendants but delayed reading the sentencing till Thursday.
Reading the sentencing of the defendants during the proceedings attended by the six defendants, their counsel, Mr. Laide Yekini, prosecuting counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Mikaheel Idris and counsel for the nominal complainant, Abbas, on Thursday, Famuyide held that the prosecution proved all the allegations levelled against the defendants beyond doubt.
She however declined awarding compensation to the complainant, suggesting that the family could pursue matters around compensation before another court of competent jurisdiction.
