Sale of property: Pastor, others remanded in custody

A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti on Friday remanded a syndicate alleged of specializing in fraudulent sales of property without owners consent in Ekiti State after being apprehended by the police and arraigned before the court.

The leader of the syndicate identified as Pastor Akintoye Joseph was arraigned before the court alongside another man identified as Ogundipe Sunday and others at large on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, false pretence and conduct likely to breach public peace.

According to the police, they were alleged to have conspired to sell a “building at No 1, Ijigbo Street, Mugbagba area, Ado Ekiti, property of late Idris Omole, (late chief Imam of Ijigbo mosque) at the rate of N7million,” without the consent of the late Omole’s family.

When they were arraigned before Chief Magistrate R. A. Adegboye on Friday, they pleaded not guilty to the offences but were ordered to be remanded by the court until they are able to perfect their bail conditions after being granted bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties in like sum, one of which must be a level 14 civil servant, while one of them must reside within Ado Ekiti metropolis.

Part of the charge read, “That you Pastor Akintoye Joseph ‘m’, Ogundipe Sunday ‘m’ and others at large on the 26th April, 2016 at about 2:00 pm at Mugbagba area Ijigbo Street Ado-Ekiti, in the Ado Ekiti Magistrate district did conspire together to commit felony to with obtaining property by false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 516(A) of the Criminal Code Cap.C16 Vol.1 Laws of Ekiti State.

“That you Pastor Akintoye Joseph ‘m’ Ogundipe Sunday ‘m’ and others at large on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did by False Pretence sell a building at No.1 Ijigbo Street, Mugbagba area Ado Ekiti property of Late Idris Omole ‘m’ at the rate of 7M (Seven million naira) only and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap.C16 Vol.I Laws of Ekiti State.

The third count states that, “That you Pastor Akintoye Joseph ‘m’, Ogundipe Sunday ‘m’ and others at large on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did in public place conducted yourselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by pasting an order of sales on the building wall Late Idris Omole and Late Adeniyi Tiamiyu ‘ m’ at No.1 Ijigbo Street Mugbagba area Ado Ekiti and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 249(D) of the Criminal Code Cap. C16 Vol.I Laws of Ekiti State.”

The case has been adjourned till January 11, 2017 for trial.