An Ibadan based businessman, Mr. Kehinde Rasak, has appeared before an Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan for allegedly grabbing of plots 9 and 15 land belonging to Bel-Air Estate.
Rasak was arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and land grabbing, which he pleaded not guilty.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr Michael Lana, informed the court that the defendant and others at large conspired to violently grabbed the plots of land.
Lana said that the defendant went to the land with thugs and forcefully took possession of the land and started building on it.
He said that the incident happened on May 6,2019 and contravened section 7(1) of the Oyo State Real Property Protection Law 2016.
The prosecuting counsel urged the court not to admit the defendant to bail because the lives of the complainant and witnesses are in danger, adding that the defendant was bent on using thugs in harassing them.
The defendant’s counsel, Mr Bukola Omotosho, urged the court to admit his client to bail pending the determination of the matter.
Omotosho said that the land was rightfully allocated to his client by the Ministry of Power,Works and Housing.
Ruling on the bail application, Justice Mashud Abass, said the essence of bail in any criminal matter was to secure the attendance of the defendant in court.
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Abass said that the defendant has never be in police custody before coming to appear voluntarily in court and the charges against him are not capital in nature.
The judge then admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million with one surety in like sum.
He said that the surety must be his blood relation with landed property within Ibadan metropolis and adjourned the case till Feb. 3 for hearing.
Source: Daily Post
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