Court Jails Baale of Igbo-Owe

Baale of Igbo-Owe, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, Chief Olaniyi Gbadamosi, was on Friday sentenced to three months imprisonment on an allegation of fraud which borders on sale of land.

At the Magistrates’ Court 13, on charge number MI/798C2012, Chief Gbadamosi was sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour or an option of fine of N20,000.

The traditional ruler was accused of selling plots of land to one Muideen Olapade, and made Moshood Olapade, who died seven years ago, a witness in the transaction.

Chief Gbadamosi, it was gathered, sold pieces of land— two plots at N180,000, 10 acres at N345,000 and one plot at N90,000 to Muideen Akintola, who paid N10,000 on each occasion as witness fee.

But the whole deal went awry when Akintola met some members of the Ifadaiya family who came to build their family office on one of the said plots of land and were told that one of the witnesses in the transaction died in 2005.

At that point, Akintola said he knew there was a problem.

Akintola told the Nigerian Tribune that when he called the Baale to inform him of the development, he shouted at him instead of proffering solution. Then, he knew something was fishy.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, some members of Ifadaiya family, after the judge’s pronoucement, said they were happy, as law had finally caught up with the Baale.

One of the family members, Mutiu Akinpelu Akintoba, said the Baale had been a thorn in the community’s flesh for over 20 years.

“Both in land and chieftaincy matters, the Baale had been tormenting the entire community with no one being able to confront him,’’ he said.

 

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