Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekuti
An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 36- year old Farmer, Mr. Usman Lateef, to 30 days community service for assaulting a land owner.
Lateef was arraigned on February 2, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault slammed on him.
The charge reads that the defendants on January 31, 2022, at about 1:00p.m. at Odo-Uro Community, Iyin Ekiti in Ado Ekiti Magistarial District, did assault one Oke Boluwaji by slapping him repeatedly because of controversy over land matter.
After the conclusion of the hearing, delivering his judgment on the matter, Magistrate Olatomiwa Daramola, said the facts and circumstances of the case clearly pointed to the guiltiness of the defendant. He is found guilty and convicted accordingly.
Daramola said: “The convict is a young man, who can still be useful to the society if given the chance. He is hereby sentenced to one month community service within the High Court premises to be supervised by officer of non-custodial arm of the Nigeria Correctional Services.”
According to the charge preferred against the convict, the offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 351 of the Criminal Code, Cap C16, Vol. 1, Laws of Ekiti State Nigeria, 2012.
In his explanation to the police, the plaintiff said he purchased a land at Odo-Uro, Iyin Ekiti, from a chief with yams planted on it, and that some of the yams got destroyed while fencing the land, which he said enraged the convict.,
He added further; “after some time, the defendant came to claim damages for the destroyed yams, after intervention from the chief and other neighbours. I paid him a sum of N100, 000.00 for the destroyed yams, and he was warned not to disturb me on the land anymore.
“He packed the damaged yams, he also came back to uproot the rest. Yet, he always came to disturb me and other workers on the land. The matter was reported at the police station. He was arrested and later released after warning and cautioning.
“The defendant came back again after some time. I held him and called the chief, when the chief arrived, he started slapping me continuously in the presence of the chief and the matter was reported back to the police for necessary action.”
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Inspector Elijah Adejare, called three witnesses, while he tendered statements of the victim and defendant, a shirt and a stone as exhibits.
