Tajudeen Babatunde a former local government chairman in Osun state , has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for conspiracy, malicious damage, and arson.
It would be recalled that Babatunde who had served in previous capacity as a caretaker chairman of Iwo West local council development authority was sentenced by a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Iwo on Thursday.
Babatunde was sentenced alongside three Beninois citizens, Sunday Ajoko, Jonas John, and Kohonu Deboye, as well as Adeoye Alabi and Kasumu Ajao.
All five were arraigned in trial suit number: MIW/68c/2019 on four counts bordering on conspiracy, malicious damage, and arson.
According to the charge sheet, “the defendants and others yet to be apprehended were said to have, on or before the 16th day of February 2019, at Ayigbiri Orupekere farm located along Iwo/Ibadan road in Iwo, Osun State cut down about 400 palm trees and other economic trees valued about N10 million.”
The Oosa Olaniyi family in Iwo, through its counsel, Dele Abbas, had written to the Osun State Ministry of Justice to take over the prosecution of the matter from the police, a request that was granted by the government.
Upon concluding hearing on the matter, Magistrate Famuyide had on Wednesday convicted all the defendants but delayed reading the sentencing till Thursday.
Reading the sentencing of the defendants during the proceedings attended by the six defendants, their counsel, Laide Yekini, prosecuting counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Mikaheel Idris, and counsel to the nominal compliant, Abbas on Thursday, Famuyide held that the prosecution proved all the allegations levelled against the defendants beyond doubt.
All of them were found culpable on all the counts and subsequently sentenced to a four-year jail term.
She declined to award compensation to the complainant, suggesting that the family could pursue matters around compensation before another court of competent jurisdiction.
Despite the sentencing, the court gave Ajao an option of an N80,000 fine considering his age and ill health.
