Ondo police drag alleged land grabber to court

Ondo State Police Command has dragged one Oyeniyi Aro, before a Chief Magistrates' Court sitting at Odode-Idanre in the Idanre local government area of the state, over alleged forceful invasion and malicious damage of farmlands in the area.

The suspect was arraigned in court at the weekend on a five-count charge of conspiracy, forceful entry to a portion of land, stealing and illegal grabbing of land.

The land, according to the police, belongs to one Akinmade and Akinwalere families.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the allegations preferred against him by the police.

Earlier in the court, the Police Prosecutor, Omoniyi Lebile, told the court that the defendant forcibly entered a farm belonging to the two families in the Idanre community.

Counsel to the defendant, Samuel Omomowo, prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms, stating that 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 a 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 clashes between Akure and Idanre.

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 bail in the sum of N2 million and two sureties in like sum.