“Former Chairman of Iwo West Local Council Development Area in Osun State, Tajudeen Babatunde, and five others were sentenced to four years in prison by an Osun State Magistrate Court in Osogbo on Thursday.
The convicts, including Kasumu Arohunfesu, an octogenarian, Sunday Ajoko, Kohonu Deboye, Adeoye Alabi, and Jonas John, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit felony, damage, and destruction of farmland.
The case was prosecuted by Mikaheel Idris from the Ministry of Justice, representing the complainant, the Oosa Olaniyi family of Iwo. The charges against the defendants included conspiracy to commit felony, damage, and destruction of farmland, which took place on or before February 16, 2019, at Ayigbiri Orupekere farm in Iwo.
The prosecution presented evidence that the convicts had destroyed 400 palm trees and other economic trees valued at N10 million and subsequently set the farm on fire. Magistrate Abimbola Famuyide, in delivering the judgment, affirmed that the evidence against the defendants was overwhelming and beyond any reasonable doubt, leading to their conviction and sentencing.
The counsel to the convicts, Laide Yekini, urged the court to temper justice with mercy on his clients by giving them an option of a fine. Magistrate Famuyide sentenced each of the convicts to four years on counts one and four, and two years each on counts two and three. She considered the age of Arohunfesu and gave him an option of N80,000 to avoid going to prison. She also directed the complainant to approach a court of competent jurisdiction for compensation, restitution, or appeal.