ABEOKUTA-- A busineman, Mr Dare Awodele, allegedly arraigned before an Ogun State Magistrate Court has refuted a news publication claiming his arraignment and subsequent remand at the Ibara Correctional Centre, Abeokuta over an alleged land grabbing activity on the Ogun state Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC) property at Agejo Village in Obafemi-Owode Local Government area of the State.
A news publication, not The News Ville, had reported that Mr Dare Awodele and other five namely, Messers Olalekan Odemuyiwa, 58, Baale, Agejo village; Segun Konigbagbe, 50, Baale, Ake village; Wasiu Ogunsina, 51, Kabiru Olafenwa and Babatunde Odemuyiwa, 61, were arraigned at the Magistrate Court, Isabo and were demanded at the Ibara police station for 30 days pending the investigation on the matter.
Speaking with newsmen at the hospital bed, Awodele debunked the story making rounds, saying that he had been on the sick bed a day before the purported arraignment, claiming that involvement in the alleged case was the financial assistance he rendered to one of the feuding families involved in the landed property.
"What I know regarding the incident is that I assisted one of the families involved in the controversy of a family land, near OGBC property, measuring 12 Acres and 3 plots. One Seye, popularly called OBJ, through whom I had a contact with the Olafenwa family, came to me for financial assistance to secure the services of a lawyer to pursue their case in court as the other family have sent them out of the site".
"I gave them money and after they had secured a favourable Judgement from Court, Before the judgement, the other family sort the help of the State Chairman of the Ogun State Park Management (OGSPAM), Alhaji Akeem Bodunrin, popularly called Iyeru, who called me that we should both play mediatory role in the matter which led to amicable settlement out of court. Hence, the land was shared among the conflicting sides with seven acres given to Olafenwa family and five acres, 3 plots to the Apas", Awodele narrated.
Speaking on the OGBC land, Awodele said the State Taskforce visited his office to invite him for questioning which he honoured and gave detailed explanation that the land he was involved in was never of OGBC but of the Olafenwas according to the judgement of the Ogun state High Court - the copy of which he later showed our reporter.
"When we got to the police station, we were told to wait for retired CP, Edward Awolowo Ajogun whose interest in the case was sketchy as at that time but later became known afterwards. When he arrived, they interviewed me and I told them all I know the land as narrated earlier. Retired CP Ajogun also said the issue did not concern me and Iyeru that the people who sold the land should held to sort themselves out. Surprisingly, I was detained with others and spent a night at the station on a matter I knew nothing about", Awodele lamented.
Mr Awodele therefore called on tje State government to properly investigate the matter and the obvious conspiracy therein to ensure avoidable damage of innocent citizens' reputation and character, while the management of the OGBC should take proactive steps to retrieve the land from the suspected grabbers and illegal occupants to avoid loss of the entire land.
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