Court sentence Ondo monarch to jail over fraud (Details, pics)

The traditional ruler of Igburowo community in the Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Pius Adewola, may spend the Yuletide in jail as he has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by an Ore Chief Magistrate Court on Friday.

The monarch was convicted over allegations of fraud and obtaining by false pretence. Oba Adewola was also accused of short-changing traditional chiefs in the community by refusing to pay them their entitlement in full after he had allegedly collected money from the local government.

The residents of the community had in 2012 staged a protest against the monarch over allegations of misrule and bringing the community into disrepute. He was also accused of engaging in a brawl with his chiefs, illegally converting the community’s resources to personal use and allegedly writing fictitious petitions and instituting several court cases against his subjects.

In 2014, the monarch was arrested and detained by the police and subsequently arraigned on 36 counts of stealing, fraud, illegal conversion of the monthly salaries of his domestic workers and chiefs, false declaration and impersonation.

After the argument from the counsels of both plaintiff and defendants, the Magistrate, Mr. O.J Adelegan sentenced Adewola to two years’ imprisonment with an option of N500,000 fine.

Adelegan said in his ruling, “From the antecedents so far garnered on the record, the convict appears to me, a conscienceless person, who has no iota of regret, indulging in such an opprobrious and despicable act.

"However, since it is no gainsaying that our law is no respecter of any personality, I strongly deprecate the ungainly and unbecoming acquisitive conduct of the convict, particularly, his fraudulent instinct to corruptly enrich himself at the expense of others. Though, I have listened attentively to the plea of allocutus by his counsel, but from the available record, I see him as a neophyte, a first offender.

“On counts 10-21 of the charge, which are on fraudulent conversion, the convict is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment or to pay a fine of N500,000 on each of the counts”

“Lastly, on count 22 of the charge, which is on obtaining by false pretense, the convict is also hereby sentenced to two years’ imprisonment or to pay a fine of N500,000, respectively. In all, both fines and sentences are ordered to run concurrently. The monetary exhibit in this case, which is N408,000 is further hereby ordered to be returned to Igburowo community forthwith.”

In his reaction to the judgement, the counsel to the Ondo State Government, representing the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mrs. Bola Ogundadegbe, commended the magistrate for his judgment and the wealth of knowledge displayed during the course of the case.