A senior Magistrate, Olusola Aluko on Friday, December 20, 2016 had issued a bench warrant for Oluwo’s arrest. He had last Wednesday ordered the monarch to appear in court on Friday December, 30, 2016, but the traditional ruler failed to show up, when the case came up for hearing.
Saturday Sun recalls that a case was filed against Oba Akanbi by another traditional ruler in the state, the Oluwo of Iwo-Oke, Oba Kadiri Adeoye. The case is being heard by Magistrate Aluko.
The applicant (Oba Adeoye), in an affidavit, had accused Oba Akanbi of involvement in internet fraud and that he had been convicted in the United States and deported to Nigeria before he was crowned a traditional ruler.
He also accused the monarch of hiding the facts about his background to the government, before he was crowned .
According to the Magistrate, the case brought before him against the Oluwo of Iwo was a criminal one, noting that by virtue of the bench warrant issued by him, “the accused person is supposed to have been arrested and kept in prison custody”.
Although, the defendant’s counsel, Barrister Olayide Yekeen, wrote the court on why his client himself would not be present for the proceeding, the counsel to the applicant, Barrister Soji Oyetayo, explained that no reason was given for the monarch’s absence.
While highlighting the alleged criminal case brought against Oba Akanbi, Magistrate Aluko noted that the applicant, (Oba Adeoye) did not file a chieftaincy case before him.
“I will like to say that the matter before me was filed based on sections 35, 37 and 38 of the criminal procedures of Osun State.
“In a criminal case such as this, a defendant must appear in court. This court is not trying a chieftaincy matter. It is the law that, once an order is made, to prevent anarchy, such order must be obeyed.
“It is to be noted that an order was first made by my brother, Magistrate Omisade of Iwo jurisdiction before the case was transferred here by fiat and I had warned him (Oba Akanbi) three times to appear before this court”, he said.
Reading parts of the statements credited to Oba Akanbi, the Magistrate stated, “the first respondent is in contempt of the court. He should also come and explain the statements credited to him on television and newspapers against this court. I have a duty to protect the judiciary which the respondent want to embarrass and humiliate”.
Magistrate Aluko chided the state Commissioner of Police for failing to perform his duty by not effecting the bench warrant on Oba Akanbi, which he personally signed and which was handed over to an officer of the state police command.
He said, “I am baffled that the Commissioner of Police has not done his duty. I am also surprised by his claim that he was unaware of the bench warrant. That must be a joke of the century. I therefore order him to immediately arrest the respondent.
“I am not joking with my order. He should be arrested and brought to this court on Friday, January 6th, 2017. The sanctity of the judiciary must be protected”, Magistrate Aluko added.
From Clement ADEYI, Osogbo
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