An Otta Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ogun state, has convicted and sentenced two men, Ajayi Sheriff and Lateef Owolola, to four and half years imprisonment, for giving false statements to the Nigeria Police Force.
The two convicts, Ajayi and Sheriff were handed their jail term by Chief Magistrate O. L. Oke, who found them guilty of charges of conspiracy, making false statements, and conduct likely to cause breach public peace, made against them by the men of Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID) Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos
The convicts were charged before the court in a charge marked MOT/437/2020.
They prosecutor, Barrister Morufu Animashaun, while arraigning the convicts, informed the court that the convicts and others now at large, had sometimes in the month of August 2017, at about 11:30a.m, in Gbeniga lju Ebiye, lju Ota, Ogun State, conspired among themselves make false Statement at the General Investigation Section of ForceCID Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
The prosecutor also told the court that the convicts had made the false statements against the trio of Lukmon Ajayi Oje, Rasheed Balogun and Fatahi Omoledunmi.
He explained to the court that the convicts procured armed thugs and hoodlums to unleash terror in Gbeniga Ebiye Community and conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace.
He had informed the court that the offences committed by the convicts, were contrary to Sections 517, 125(A) and 249(d) of the Criminal Law Cap 29 Vol.1 of the Revised Criminal Law of Ogun State, 2006.
The convicts had denied the allegations, and were subsequently admitted to bail in various terms.
During their trial, the prosecutor called four witnesses who included; Baale Lukmon Ajayi Ojo; Abdulrasheed Balogun Omoledunmi; Fatai Omoledunmi and John Mofolorunsho Faluyi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who was the Investigation Police Officer (IPO). While the convicts were the only ones that gave evidence in their defence.
The prosecutor also tendered 16 exhibits marked as exhibits AS 1 to AS 16, which were admitted by the court.
Delivering judgment on the charges, Chief Magistrate Oke found the two convicts guilty of all the offences made against them by the police.
Magistrate Oke held that the prosecution has successfully proved each of the counts against the convicts beyond every reasonable doubt. He therefore convicted them accordingly.
The convicts’ counsel, Barrister A. S. Popoola, among other things, pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy in sentencing his clients.
Chief Magistrate Oke, after listening to the prosecutor submissions and allucutor made by the convicts’ counsel, sentenced each on the convicts to six months imprisonment without an option of fine on the conspiracy charge and sentenced them to one year imprisonment on count two, three, four and five.
The Chief Magistrate, however ordered the convicts to pay the sum of N150, 000, fine for each of counts two, three, four and five as an option.
The magistrate noted that their jail terms shall run consecutively.
