Again, Court Orders Arrest of Oluwo on Threat to Arrest Magistrate Traditionally

For allegedly threatening to issue traditional warrant of arrest against Magistrate Olusola Aluko of an Osogbo magistrate court, the court has ordered the arrest of Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi.

Oba Akanbi had threatened to issue traditional warrant against Magistrate Aluko who had ordered his arrest for refusing to appear before the court on case instituted against him by the Oluwo of Iwo Oke, Oba Kadiri Adeoye.

It would be recalled that Magistrate Aluko had on Tuesday, December 20, 2016 issued a bench warrant against the Oluwo, and ordered the police to bring him to court on Tuesday December 27, 20016. The date however fell in public holiday.

When the case came up on Wednesday, Magistrate Aluko in his opening remarks on the case, told the court audience that Oba Akanbi has threatened in the media to issue traditional arrest against him.

According to the magistrate, “after the event of last adjourned date, online media were awash with threat allegedly issued by the first respondent, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale, to arrest me traditionally.

“I personally read and watched it on Channels Television on Friday 23rd of December 2016. Then on Monday 26th December 2016, Punch newspaper published it at page 12 a story caption: I’ll not appear before Osun magistrate.

“The story was also promoted on the front page of the paper, in the body of the story the first respondent was quoted that “It is a shame on judiciary to have such magistrate sitting. I have the print out of the statement base on channels television and newspaper publication.

“It is no doubt that the statement is contemptuous in nature and they are meant to embarrass and humiliate this court under the law. It is contempt espacal which attract punitive action and this court has a duty to protect itself from assault and preserve the sanctity of judiciary and due process. Therefore, the case which brought the parties before me is hereby stepdown until this issue of contempt is cleared.

“Let me quickly add that so far bench warrant is not issue against the commissioner of police is not an excuse for the first respondent not to appear on the summon on him on the 10th day of October 2016. The commissioner of police was sued on his official capacity, hence, he need not to appear personally. It is on that score that another bench warrant is hereby issued on the first respondent Oba Rasheed Adewale to appear before this court  again personally on the first adjourn date which is 30th December 2016 to come and confirm if indeed he made those statement, to explain what he meant by allegation of bias and statement as published in the Punch newspaper and  to stand by the statement if he utter them or retract them consequently to tender unreserved apology to the court; this court shall deal with the matter primarily on the next adjourn date whether or not the first respondent is present in court. The enrollment shall be serve to his counsel team lead by Olaide Yekin.

“I want to clear the mind of the public about the case before me and I want to say that the application before me is a criminal case and not a civil matter at all.

“When the first defendant failed to appear in this court; the court  in exercising his power as provided by law issues bench warrant to compel the first respondent Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi to appear before this court.

“By implication he should be arrested and kept in prison till next adjourn date of sitting. For his failure to appear as ordered by the court”

Bench warrant was issued in the presence of his lawyer, Mr. Olaide Yekin and counsel to the Commissioner of Police Mr. Abass Harunan, the OC legal, state CID command, Osun state.