Court jails herbalist, five others for defrauding Osun ex-speaker
By Matthew Atungwu
After cheating the former speaker of the Osun Assembly, Timothy Owoye, of N38 million, the Federal High Court in Osogbo convicted six people, including a herbalist, to five years in prison each for posting a video of him in his pants online.
Recall that a 13-second video of Timothy Owoeye went viral in 2018 where he appeared unclad and bathing in a market area.
A community member from Osunjela, Osun State, allegedly confronted the speaker as he was carrying out a rite to prevent death.
Subsequently, the convicts; Kazeem Agbabiaka, Femi Oyebode, Abdul-Rasheed Ojonla, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde, Oyebanji Oyeniyi, and Ismaila Azeez were arraigned before a Magistrate court before they were transferred to Federal High court on October 19, 2018.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel led by the Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, Moses Faremi tendered 57 exhibits which included bank statements of three commercial banks where the money of fraud was received, a flash drive, a compact disc, a wooden box, $100, gun among others before the court.
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Similarly, six witnesses testified against the convicts including the ex-speaker, Timothy Owoeye, an Investigating Police Officer, and four bankers.
While delivering his judgment on Tuesday, November 7, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola convicted six of them over the alleged offenses bothering on bordering on conspiracy, advance-free fraud, and cyberstalking among others.
Agbabiaka (herbalist), Oyebode (community leader), Ojonla (community leader), and Babatunde (Prince) were convicted of conspiracy and advance-free fraud while Adebiyi was convicted of cyberstalking.
However, Justice Ayoola discharged Oyeniyi on the case of conspiracy leveled against him.
Justice Ayoola established that the convicts swindled the ex-speaker of N38 million and also posted his nude video on the internet which caused him (Owoeye) to ridicule.
While giving allocutus, the legal counsel to the convicts pleaded with the judge to tamper justice with mercy on the ground that they were first-time offenders and family men.
Justice Ayoola later sentenced all the convicts to 5 years imprisonment each.
