100-year-old man docked for alleged land grabbing

A 100-year-old man, Oladepo Ogunlade, and Musiliyu Ogundiran, 61, were on Friday docked in an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, for alleged land grabbing and destruction of economic trees.

The police charged Ogunlade and Ogundiran with conspiracy, land grabbing, malicious damage, threatening violence and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Philip Amusan, told the court that the two men committed the offence in 2021 at Lawani village in Ibadan.

Amusan alleged that the defendants and others at large, forcefully took 25 acres of land worth N50 million, belonging to Mr Wasiu Lawani.

He alleged that they also destroyed some economic trees on the land, such as cocoa, palm and coconut trees worth N800,000, while threatening violence.

Amusan said the defendants conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by destroying the economic trees with bulldozers and without justification.

The offence, the police said, contravened the provisions of sections 516, 451 and 249(d) of the Criminal laws of Oyo State, 2000.

He added that it also contravened Sections 6, 4 and 7(1) of the Oyo State Real Properties Protection Law, 2016.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mrs O. A. Akande, admitted the defendants to bail in N5 million each and two sureties each in like sum.

She adjourned the case until June 14 for hearing.