Osun monarch, four others in prison after failure to perfect bail
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
An Osun State High Court sitting in Ede, has sent the Elegbedi of Egbedi in Egbedore Local government area of State, Oba MuideenAzeez, alongside four others to Ife Correctional Centre over alleged arson and destruction of farm and crops worth N200m.
Other suspects are AkibuAbioye, YisaAkolapi, RasidiAyandiran SarafadeenAbioye.
The defendants were sent to prison over failure to perfect their bail conditions given by the Court.
Earlier, Justice KudiratAkano granted the five persons bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties each.
Justice Akano said the sureties of the suspects must be a level 16 civil servants with landed properties within the court jurisdiction and part two monarchs.
It would be recalled that the defendants appeared on June 27, 2024, on 29 counts of arson, destruction of farmland, illegal possession of firearms and robbery.
The details of the offences allegedly committed by the defendants as contained in the sheet partially read, “Oba MuideenOlaniviAzeez (A.k.aAsemalu,) Akeeb AzeezAbioye, YisaSurajudeenAkolapo (A.k.a. Kola Isah), RasidiAyandiran, SarafadeenAbioye and others at large, on or about September 3, 2019, at a farm in Oloba within the Ede Judicial Division, while armed with firearms and offensive weapons, robbed WasilatuAkinola and other women processing palm oil with her of about 70 kegs of palm oil, palm kernel, palm fruits, goats and other domestic animals valued at about N10m, and at, or immediately before or immediately after the time of the robbery did use personal violence to the said WasilatuAkinola and other women with her.
“Oba MuideenOlaniviAzeez (A.k.aAsemalu,) AkeebAzeezAbioye, YisaSurajudeenAkolapo (A.k.a. Kola Isah), RasidiAyandiran, SarafadeenAbioye and others at large, on September 3, 2019, at a farm in Iloba within Ede Judicial Division willingly and unlawfully set the palace of Oba LasisiGbadamosi, Oloba of Iloba and other buildings in Iloba town on fire.”
The offences committed were said to be contrary to Sections 402, 403A, 443, 2(1), 249(1) of the State Criminal Law 2002.
Meanwhile, one of the four witnesses called during today’s hearing, Mustafa Waheed, narrated how the monarch allegedly assaulted him.
Waheed, an indigene of Iloba in Egbedore Local Government of the state, said Elegbedi assaulted him for bringing policemen to arrest him after he allegedly attacked and destroyed their farm.
He told the court, “In September 2019, my wife called me around 11:00 a.m. after I left home for work that some thugs had attacked Iloba and destroyed our farmland and some machines and equipment used in processing palm oil.
“I went to inform the Police in Dada Estate and they followed me to Iloba. When we got there, I saw that they’d destroyed the farmland.
“I took the police to where the king and his people were, on getting there, the king and his people attacked us.
“It was the King who slapped me and cut me with a cutlass. He said I had the effrontery to bring police officers to arrest him.”
MrAbiodunBadiora, from the state Ministry of Justice, had announced an appearance for the prosecution, while MrBukolaAtobatele appeared for the defence.
Justice KudiratAkano adjourned the case till October 16 for continuation of hearing.
