By Precious Ireoluwa
An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Friday, sentenced one Ganiyu Suberu to four years imprisonment for committing Land grabbing crime.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Saka Afunso, in his judgment considered allocutors plea of the Defense counsel, Mr Yinka Adelusi, who pleaded to temper justice with mercy.
He ruled that the sentence will run concurrently for being guilty on two out of three charges preferred against the defendant.
The Presiding chief magistrate thereby found the defendant guilty as charged in counts Il and count III, while the court dismissed count I.
The prosecutor, ASP Caleb Leramo, had told the court that Suberu and others at large committed the offence between March and November, 2020 in Odo via Ado-Ekiti.
Leramo said the convict conspired together with others at large to commit felony on count 1.
He said the convict, without the authority of the community sold the property of one Mr Ezekiel Akande, without lawful title and selling a property on count 2.
He said that he was accused of knowing that the land had previously been sold to one Ezekiel Akande of Odo community since 2006 on count 3.
According to him, the offences contravened Sections 9(c) of Ekiti State Property Protection (Anti Land Grabbing Law) 2019.
Police prosecution, proved and established guilt of the case against Ganiyu Suberu by calling five witnesses to prove its case.
“The witnesses in their cogent, direct and concise evidence proved that Mr Akande, a United State of America-based Nigerian, had bought a parcel of land at Odo via Ado-Ekiti, sometimes in 2006.
“He purchased the land through his brother, Mr Oluwasola Akande, who represented him to uproot the trees and palm trees, as well cleared the land,” he said.
The prosecutor tendered the receipt for the sales of the land through Mr Oluwasola Akande, which was marked evidence exhibit A.
He said the receipt was issued by Head and Secretary of the Community, Elder Tayo Adeola and Chief Kunle Atoki respectively, written as a receipt issued by Odo Community Development Union together with affidavit of ownership deposed to by the duo.
Furthermore, evidence revealed that the defendant is not a member of Edemorun Family, who owns the land, and resold the land and destroyed all they have done on it laying claim that it was his father’s property.
The prosecution established that the defendant was not yet a Chief as at the time the land was sold, but as at the time of committing the offence, he had sold 10 out of 24 plots when measured.
The Defense counsel, Yinka Adelusi, called only 2 witnesses, which included the defendant and a pastor to prove that Akande did not buy land from their family.
He pleaded for an option of fine for his client by paying the sum of N25,000 on each of the two counts he was found guilty.