A traditional ruler who was accused of engaging in internet fraud is set to be arrested by the commissioner of police following a court order.
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A magistrate’s court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State has ordered the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, to arrest the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, and bring him to court on January 6, 2017.
The magistrate, Olusola Aluko, gave the fresh order on Friday when the case involving the monarch came up for hearing again.
He said he was surprised that the police commissioner had not arrested Oluwo since he first issued the bench warrant of arrest against the first class monarch.
Aluko expressed dismay that the police commissioner had not effected the bench warrant of arrest he had issued against the monarch, which he said he had signed and handed over to an officer of the state police command.
He said, “I am baffled that the commissioner of police has not done his duty.
I am also surprised by his claim that he was unaware of the bench warrant. That must be a joke of the century. I, therefore, order him to immediately arrest the respondent.
“I am not joking with my order. He (Akanbi) should be arrested and brought to this court on Friday, January 6, 2017. The sanctity of the judiciary must be protected.”
Aluko stated that the case instituted by the Oluwo Oke of Iwo Oke, Oba Kadiri Adeoye, against Akanbi before his court was not a chieftaincy case but a criminal one.
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He said, “I will like to say that the matter before me was filed based on sections 35, 37 and 38 of the criminal procedures of Osun State.
“In a criminal case such as this, a defendant must appear in court. This court is not trying a chieftaincy matter. It is the law that once an order is made, to prevent anarchy, such an order must be obeyed.
“It is to be noted that an order was first made by my brother, Magistrate Omisade of Iwo jurisdiction before the case was transferred here by fiat and I had asked him (Akanbi) three times to appear before this court.”
It will be recalled that the magistrate had on December 2 threatened to issue a bench warrant against the Oluwo if he failed to appear before him on December 20, but the monarch failed to appear before the court.
The magistrate then issued a bench warrant against the monarch on December 20 but the monarch allegedly said he would not appear before the magistrate.
Aluko had also issued a fresh bench warrant against the monarch on Wednesday for contempt of court but the monarch still did not appear on Friday.
The Oluwo had earlier told a Punch correspondent in an interview that he would not appear before the magistrate, but subsequent efforts to get his reaction to the fresh order of arrest were not successful as calls put across to his telephone did not connect.
The police commissioner, when contacted on the telephone by a correspondent after the fresh court order, said he was not aware of it.
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