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Obasanjo’s land: Lawyer faults client’s arraignment, seeks withdrawal of criminal charge

A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Lanre Balogun has urged the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ogun State Ministry of Justice to withdraw for proper investigation what he described as a trumped-up charge against his client, Alhaji Ibrahim Gbenga Ibuoye for allegedly entering into a piece of land belonging to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Itele, Ado-Odo/ Ota Local Government Area of the state.

 

According to a petition, copies of which were sent to Ogun State Commissioner of Police and the Registrar, Magistrate’s Court 3, Ota, Alhaji Ibuoye’s charge and arraignment before the court inCharge No. MOT/390C/2020- COMMISSIONER OF POLICE VS ALHAJI IBRAHIM GBENGA IBUOYE, on September 1, 2020 followed an alleged concealment of fact coupled with the fact that there was no investigation at all by the police.

 

He said the police, in arraigning his client before the court were only acceding to the wishes of a prominent Chief with a view to getting his client and other members of Adogun Atele family out of the way to pave the way for further criminal and illegal mining in Itele.

 

Balogun said: “We humbly request the withdrawal of this charge for further investigation to take place so that innocent citizen is not unjustly punished.”

 

However, in the petition, after Alhaji Ibuoye was allegedly tricked by the Sango Area Police Command to pay a visit to the new Commissioner of Police, in Abeokuta, for official introduction on August 31st, 2020, he was led to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who without conducting any investigation ordered his immediate detention at about 8.45p.m. only to be arraigned the following day before the court on illegal entering into Obasanjo’s farm.

 

It reads: “Despite efforts by our client to explain to the Police boss that the land does not belong to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and that it was Adogun Atele family that stopped the illegal mining of laterite on their land but the Police Boss turned down all efforts to explain and to our surprise, our client was in less than 12 hours after his detention charged to the Magistrate’s Court on trumped up charges.

 

“Sir, it is based on the above concealment of fact coupled with the fact that there was no investigation at all by the Police who were only acceding to the wishes of the prominent Chief to get our client and other members of Adogun out of the way to pave the way for further criminal and illegal mining in Itele that we humbly request the withdrawal of this charge for further investigation to take place so that innocent citizen is not unjustly punished.

 

The prominent Chief has issues with Adogun Atele family and he should face the family rather than trying to instigate a trumped-up charge against the defendant.”

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