Magistrates In Osun State Threaten Indefinite Strike Action If ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ Oluwo Is Not Arrested
Osun State magistrates are threathing to go on an indefinite strike action if the Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, who has until now violated successive court orders, is not arrested by the State commissioner of police and brought before the court.
The magistrates said their decision to go on strike follows the monarch’s repeated refusal to appear before the court and the failure of the police commissioner to arrest him despite the orders of the magistrate court in Osogbo.
Mr Olusola Aluko of the magistrate court in Osogbo, reportedly signed the last order for the arrest of the monarch on December 30, 2016, This came up after the Oluwo had turned down previous invitations by the court to appear in defence of various allegations of fraud and forgery levelled against him by another monarch, the Oluwo Oke of Iwo Oke.
Mr. Akanbi vowed never to appear before the court, saying the warrant for his arrest was disrespectful and that the magistrate was corruptly induced to give the order for his arrest.
The monarch had also threatened to issue a “traditional warrant of arrest” against the magistrate for daring to issue same against a first class monarch of repute.
“I am baffled that the CP is claiming ignorance of the court order. It must be a joke of the century. I am not joking with my order. My order remains my order,” Mr. Aluko had declared when issuing his last order of arrest on December 30, 2016.
The commissioner of police has made no attempt to arrest the monarch despite the orders.
The body of magistrates, however, in a letter dated January 4, 2017 and addressed to the Chief Judge of Osun State, Adepele Ojo, demanded an order from the judiciary compelling the police commissioner to arrest the monarch, Premium Times reports.
The letter, which was made available to journalists in Osogbo on Thursday, was signed by the chairman of the Magistrates’ Association of Nigeria, Osun State branch, F.A Sodamade; Secretary, F.I. Omisade; A.O. Oyeniyi; J.O. Owolawi; A.O Ayilara and A.O Ajanaku. It read in part:
“We therefore humbly seek Your Lordship’s attention, protection and response in the following ways: An urgent directive to the Commissioner of Police to arrest and present for prosecution the Oluwo of Iwo,
“An urgent order directing the commissioner of police to provide each magistrate with armed personal orderlies as done in other jurisdiction.
“We humbly state that with the prevalent threat to the security of magistrates as exemplified in the events in Iwo and Osogbo, we consider our lives unsafe and may be unable to continue sitting in our various stations, which may affect us entertaining any new charge from the office of the Commissioner of Police until the commissioner of police has complied with Your Lordship’s directives.”
The Oluwo is standing trial before Mr. Aluko, for allegations levelled against him by the Oluwo Oke of Iwo-Oke, bordering on fraudulent procurement of office, fraud, passport forgery and more.
