Ondo king sentenced to 2 years in jail over fraud

King Pius Akinfesola Adewola will be spending this yuletide period in prison as a Chief Magistrate Court in the state sentenced him to two years imprisonment over an allegation of fraudulent conversion, and obtaining money under false pretense.

Adewola who is the traditional ruler of lgburowo Community in Odigbo LGA of Ondo State, was sent to prison by an Ore Chief Magistrate court.



Delivering judgement on the matter, the presiding Magistrate, O. J. Adelegan, said, “from the antecedents so far garnered on the record, the convict appears to me, a conscienceless person, who has no iota of regret, indulging in such an opprobrious and despicable act.

However, since it is no gainsaying, that our law is no respecter of any personality, I strongly deprecate the ungainly and unbecoming acquisitive conduct of the convict, particularly, his fraudulent instinct to corruptly enrich himself at the expense of others.

Though I have listened attentively to the plea of alocutus by his counsel, but from the available record, I see him as a neophyte, I mean a first offender.

Nevertheless, I am strongly of the humble mindset, that if the convict is not appropriately sanctioned, the danger inherent therein, is that people of like minds, may either overtly be influenced or encouraged to see criminality, as a veritable means of livelihood.”

It could be recalled that the monarch was accused of shortchanging traditional chiefs in the community by refusing to pay them their entitlement in full after collecting same from the local government.

The community also accused him of engaging in a brawl with his chiefs, illegal conversion of the community resources to personal use and writing of fictitious petitions and institution of several court cases against his subjects