Land dispute: Hearing begins as former Judge stands prosecution witness in Ondo

An Ondo High Court 2, sitting in Ondo, Ondo West local government area has started hearing on a land dispute case between Igba communities and Stella Akinbobola, the suspended principal registrar Mr Adewunmi Mathew Opeyemi and senior registrar 2 Mr OjopaunTope of Ondo judicial division.

The case was brought before Justice W.R Olamide on seven count-charge of forgery, fraudulent, breach of peace, among others

The respondence are, Former Principal Registrar Mr. Adewunmi Mathew Opeyemi, Stella Akinbobola, and Mr Ojopaun Tope, they were all represented by a legal practitioner, Barr. Idowu Olaborede, Barr. Ajayi and Barr.Oluwanikemi, respectively.

According to the charges, the defendants were accused of forgery of court documents, forgery of warrant of possession which changed the contents of the original warrant from 4 acres to higher figures of two hundred and twenty- six (226) acres.

The accused persons also allegedly altered the court warrant of possession and handed it over to the commissioner of police for execution one year after it was issued. That the defendants made false entry to register warrant of possession

Other alleged offences are; that they forcefully entered lands in communities culpable to cause a breach of peace in the communities, that the defendants and others at large cut down valuable trees worth 100 million naira in the said communities

“Removal of survey pillars and boundary indicators by the defendants including those at large”.

However, the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the count charges.

The hearing on the case started as one of the principal prosecution witnesses, Justice Bode Adegbehingbe, a former judge in the division and Appeal court judge was subpoena and cross-examined by both lawyers of plaintiffs and defendants.

In his testimony, Adegbehingbe identified the first defendant Mr. Adewunmi Mathew Opeyemi to be a former principal registrar who was the head of the registry and the second defendant Mr. Ojopaun Tope, as the senior registrar 2 of the division.

He also addressed the third defendant, Mrs. Stella Akinbobola as a frequent litigant in the division on whom he had delivered two judgments against, in case of her possession of six thousand and seven hundred (6,700)acres of land in Ondo Kingdom, in the division before he left.

During the cross-examination, he affirmed the unholy practices in the registry ranging from forgery and inappropriate documentation in his days as a judge in the division which warranted measures to curb the excesses that helped in the matter.

While making some confessions as regards the falsification of documents particularly exhibit P2 (warrant of possession), he said the document was minuted to him by PR Mr. Adewunmi Mathew Opeyemi in the best practice and tradition of the judiciary on 14th May 2018, and duly signed by him but ignored the incriminating memo attached by SR2 Mr. Ojopaun Tope.

That he (Adegbehingbe) introduced production of two (2) copies of warrant of possession against one (1) in practice before he came on board, so that one will be issued when the other one will be in the file.

Added that the ‘claimant’ and ‘defendant’ in the document were altered alternatively to suit the evil act of the perpetrators in which SR2 Mr Ojopaun Tope was identified to have masterminded it with the support of the then Principal Registrar, Mr. Adewunmi Mathew Opeyemi.

That warrant of possession must be executed within one year of receipt but on this matter, it was enforced on the day of expiration which gives room for suspicion!

“That it was a fact that any altered document remain invalid in court regardless of who appended the signature.
That only the SR2 Mr Ojopaun Tope whose handwriting and signature appeared in the forged document could tell the court why he, Ojopaun Tope, had done that.

The exhibit P2 (warrant of possession) presented to the court was indeed altered with an affirmation of the handwriting and signature of the SR2 Mr. Ojopaun Tope

After about four hours of the hearing, the principal witness submitted his testimony orally and took a bow.

The case was adjourned till the 22nd of July 2021 for further hearing.