Proceedings in an ongoing criminal case involving allegations of attempted murder, land grabbing and other offences took a new turn on Thursday as the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan ordered the arrest of one of the defendants for failing to appear in court.
Justice Kareem Adedokun issued the order against Mutiu Arowosaye, the 11th defendant in the matter, after he was absent from the proceedings without prior notice or explanation to the court.
Arowosaye is standing trial alongside 13 other defendants on a 27-count charge bordering on attempted murder, assault, robbery, stealing and alleged land grabbing activities in Aagba community, located in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Other defendants in the case include Chief Sunday Aderinto, Chief Jimoh Asimiyu, Timothy Aderinto, Matthew Akintaro, Rafiu Ganiu, Adejare Adeleru, Samson Ogunmola, Zachiaus Adeleru, Kamorudeen Ajibade, Raji Rasaq, Oyeyemi Oyelekan Olusegun and Sheriff Adio.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Justice Adedokun granted an application seeking the defendant’s arrest after determining that he had failed to attend court without justification.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case until Sept. 30 for the continuation of the defence.
Earlier, prosecuting counsel, Mr I.O. Abdulazeez, urged the court to issue a warrant for Arowosaye’s arrest, arguing that the defendant had deliberately failed to appear before the court.
He also informed the court that the defendant’s sureties were absent and had not provided any explanation regarding his whereabouts or failure to attend the hearing.
In response, defence counsel, Mrs O.A. Okeyinka, appealed to the court to refrain from issuing a bench warrant against her client.
She maintained that Arowosaye had consistently attended previous proceedings and should be given the benefit of the doubt regarding his absence.
The case has experienced several adjournments since the prosecution concluded its presentation of evidence more than a year ago.
The legal action was initiated by Dr Isaac Abiodun, Chief Executive Officer of Tropical Culture Farm Estate, in conjunction with members of the Aagba community.
According to the complainants, the defendants allegedly invaded the farm estate and the community, causing injuries to residents and extensive damage to property.
Following the allegations, a petition was submitted to the Inspector-General of Police, who directed a comprehensive investigation into the matter. Upon completion of the investigation, the case file was forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation for review and prosecution.
The matter was subsequently transferred to the Oyo State Ministry of Justice, which instituted criminal proceedings against the defendants, a process that continues before the state high court.