Lawyer Petitions NJC Over Land Matter, Accuses AG of complicity 

A human right lawyer, Popoola S.O Esq. has petitioned Federal Judicial Service Commission (NJC) over a land matter that involved Osun state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Ajibola Basiru.

According to the petition, copy of which was obtained by our correspondent in Osogbo, the involvement of Dr. Basiru was basically the part of holding  brief for one of the parties involved in the matter.

The petitioneer, Popoola, in the said petition rejected a judgement delivered on Wednesday 18th, 2018 by Justice Kudirat Akano of the state’s High Court 5, where she jailed one Florence Adeniyi,  Iyabo Sorinolu(Nee Adeniyi) and Mr. Jolayemi Thomas for one calendar year each, at Ilesa prison 

The petition reads in part: “We are counsel to Florence Adeniyi, Iyabo Sorinolu  (Nee Adebiyi) and Mr. Jolayemi Thomas presently serving one year term at Ilesa prison,  Osun State in compliance with the judgement of Justice Kudirat Akano of High Court 5 Osogbo on Wednesday 18,2018 at the instance of Dr. Ajibola Basiru, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun.

“The fact of the case is that Florence sold her landed property to one Alhaja Toyin Alaran who acted as an agent of one Adesola Jemilat Busari who was said a to be residing in U.K for a sum of #10,000,000”.(Ten million naira). 

“The amount was paid from Alhaja Alaran’s personal bank account  to Florence as the price of the property. 

The money was paid instalmentally between January  and September 2012 and a same agreement was executed in January 2012, when Alhaja Alaran made her first installment.

“When Mrs Florence later discovered that Alhaja Alaran , who has been her tenant for 30 years was the one disguising as Adesola Jemilat Busari,  just to purchase  the property from her, she paid back the sum of #10,000,000 into Alhaja Alaran’s account, from which the instalmental payment was made. 

“Alhaja Alaran upon receipt of the money became infuriated and report Mrs Florence at Zone Eleven Police Headquarters for yet to be ascertained offence. 

“However,  the police were able to come up with a charge punishable under section 82 of the criminal code after locking up our clients in the cell for days.  

“The trial Magistrate refused the bail of our clients and ordered them to be remanded at the prison custody.  We had to write two petitions to the Chief Judge of Osun state before the Magistrate granted bail to our clients in a case that has no nominal complainant.

“The ministry of Justice later took over the case and filed information before the High Court. The case was heard and the complainant who called himself Adesola Jemilat Busari happened to be a man who could not produce any document to identify himself as the one bearing the name Adesola Jemilat Busari bit even his international passport with which he travelled from U.K to give evidence in this case”.

“There is no clear evidence of agency relationship between him and Alhaja Alaran. Our clients tendered the facebook print-out of the complainant which revealed his true name as Bashir Oke which also captured his picture and that of his wife. Even though the document was rejected by the trial court,  the photograph of the fictitious Adesola Jemilat Busari cannot be denied.

“The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice later took over the case personally.  We filled written address in defence of our clients while the Attorney General also filled written address for the prosecution”. 

“Judgement was eventually delivered on 18th day of April,  2018 in which our clients were convicted of conspiracy and obtaining property under false pretences. Our clients were sentenced to one calendar year imprisonment each on each count without any option of fine despite our allocutus that they were first offenders”. 

“We urge the National Judicial Service Commission to investigate this petition as a matter of urgency and take necessary step to rectify the situation before our clients die in Ilesa prison”.