The Iwo Chief Magistrates Court in Osogbo has sentenced a former Local Government Area chairman, Tajudeen Babatunde, to four years in prison.
This ruling, handed down on Thursday, found Babatunde guilty of conspiracy, malicious damage, and arson.
Babatunde, who previously served as the caretaker chairman of the Iwo West Local Council Development Authority, faced the court alongside three Benin nationals—Sunday Ajoko, Jonas John, and Kohonu Deboye—and two additional individuals, Adeoye Alabi and Kasumu Ajao. The case, registered under suit number MIW/68c/2019, involved charges of conspiracy, malicious damage, and arson against all six defendants.
The court found the defendants guilty on all counts, sentencing them to four years in prison. Notably, Magistrate A. Famuyide offered Kasumu Ajao, an octogenarian, the option of an N80,000 fine due to his advanced age and ill health.
The charges were linked to a destructive incident occurring on or before February 16, 2019, at the Ayigbiri Orupekere farm along the Iwo/Ibadan road in Iwo, Osun State. The defendants were accused of felling approximately 400 palm trees and other economic trees valued at about N10 million and subsequently setting the farm ablaze.
The case gained momentum when the Oosa Olaniyi family in Iwo, represented by their counsel Mr. Dele Abbas, successfully requested the Osun State Ministry of Justice to take over the prosecution from the police. This request was granted, facilitating the case’s progression.
Magistrate Famuyide convicted all the defendants on Wednesday but postponed the sentencing to Thursday. The courtroom saw the presence of the defendants and their counsel Mr. Laide Yekini, alongside prosecuting counsel Mikaheel Idris from the Ministry of Justice, and the complainant’s counsel Mr. Abbas. Famuyide emphasized that the prosecution had sufficiently proven the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Despite the convictions, Magistrate Famuyide declined to award compensation to the complainant, advising the Oosa Olaniyi family to seek compensation through another court of competent jurisdiction.
