4 Egba High Chiefs Bag 1 Month Imprisonment For Breach Of Peace
The Magistrate Court 1 sitting in Isabo area of Abeokuta, the Ogun state has sentenced four Egba High Chiefs to one month imprisonment for actions capable of causing breach of peace in the state.
The four accused persons, which included Soyinka Isiaq, Raufu Bankole, Ayinde Akintoye and Kamoru Adeniran were arraigned before the court in a suit number MA/69C/16 on eight -count charge bothering on conducts likely to cause breach of public peace and taking possession of property without lawful authority of Osile of Egbaland, Oba Adedapo Tejuosho among others.
Recalled that the accused Egba High Chiefs had earlier in the year 2014, instituted a case in suit number AB/151/2014 against the Osile of Oke-Ona Egba, Oba Tejuoso, challenging his authority over the disputed Ogboni Fraternity House at Ilugun town in the Odeda local government area of the state.
They argued that the royal father has no authority to lock or open the disputed Ogboni Fraternity House.
Following the breakdown of law and order in the town, the Chief Magistrate 1, then presided over by His Lordship A.O Araba ordered the closure of the Ogboni Fraternity House in Ilugun pending the final determination of the suit at the High Court.
But the accused persons allegedly engaged the services of three military personnel attached to the special security outfit in the state, “OP MESA” but serving in Ilugun to forcefully gain entry to the disputed building, the Ogboni Fraternity House.
This new development however, compelled the police to arrest and re-arraign them in suit number MA/69C/16 on a 6 -court charge for conspiracy to commit felony to wit by breaking into the house said to be contrary to and punishable under the law.
But delivering her judgement over the matter, Chief Magistrate A.I Adelaja sentenced the trio of Soyinka, Akintoye and Adeniran to one month imprisonment each without an option of fine.
In the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement obtained by our correspondent in Abeokuta Wednesday, the Chief Magistrate held inter alia that, ” the town has gone through a lot of unprecedented disruption through the year. I am mindful of the age of the accused persons, but I must state that they were not mindful of their ages in their conduct of the affairs of the area over which they had control.
“Instead of them being the ones trying to aid justice, they seemed to have been the ones aiding criminality. I am not inclined to give an option of fine as I believe it may not send the best signal to others in the community and Ogun state as a whole, especially I say our youths who look up to our elders for guidance”.
Chief Magistrate Adelaja however, gave an option of N200, 000 fine while sentencing Bankole to a month imprisonment due to his age and deteriorating health status.
