OLAREWAJU Akeredolu, chief judge of Ondo State, has reacted to the allegation of unlawful detention by Olumikpelumi Fagboyegun.
Fagboyegun, who claims to be the chief judge’s half-brother, was seen in a viral video on Monday calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and all well-meaning Nigerians to get justice for him after accusing the judge of using her office and influence to cause his arrest and subsequent detention because he went to their father’s house.
He said he had been arraigned five times while the charges had also been amended five times all in a bid to delay his trial.
“I am calling on you to rescue me from the Ondo State judiciary, which is being run as a family affair, that if you don’t know anybody, you cannot get justice. I have been living abroad for over 30 years,” he said.
“I came for holiday in Nigeria and to my father’s house. I share the same father with the chief judge of Ondo State. I was arrested at my father’s place, was locked up and charged with forceful entry into my father’s house.
“Even if I was convicted of this crime, it only carries a one-year prison penalty. But I have been on open remand for the past three years. The case has been on for three years because the chief judge of Ondo State influenced the judicial system and I have been unable to get justice.
“They have changed judges five times and have arraigned me five times. They have changed their charges five times and up till today, February 15, 2021, the case is still pending. Please come and rescue me.”
Although the state government has directed an immediate investigation into the allegation, the chief judge said the paternity of the man whom she said was above 60 years was still in doubt.
In an interview with TheNigerialawyer, she said that two years after her father died, somebody bearing his name filed a suit against her mum, two of her brothers, and the eldest male of her father’s family, saying he was a son of their father.
The judge said a Writ of Summons demanding that the body of her late father be exhumed for a possible DNA test by Fagboyegun’s lawyer was also served on her mum.
While adding that Fagboyegun was only arrested after he invaded one of her father’s premises with thugs wielding cutlasses, lamented that the matter was the handiwork of some persons who were using him against her family.
“One or two years after my mum died, he went to one of my father’s premises, where my cousin wanted to establish a poultry farm. One morning, he went with thugs wielding cutlasses, but he was prevented from entering the premises,” she said.
The judge insisted that the matter had nothing to do with her.
Ondo State judiciary kicks.
Also reacting, Bolatito Ajibade, state chief registrar, in an issued statement on Tuesday, said the allegation was an attempt to tarnish the image of the Ondo State judiciary.
Ajibade, who said that Fagboyegun’s allegation was designed to whip public sentiment, noted that all available records did not give adequate and valid credence to his claims.
“Obviously, the said Olupelumi was intent on tarnishing the image of the Judiciary and denting the well-earned integrity of the fountain of justice in Ondo State. However, he apparently failed to add credence, proof or substance to the allegations he glibly made to whip up sentiments in the public domain,” she said.
“For the records, the Judiciary of Ondo State has, over the years, maintained high level of integrity and unbiased administration of justice to all and sundry regardless of status, age or class.”
Ajibade explained that Fagboyegun had never been in detention, adding that his trial was still ongoing in the court after making his last appearance on Thursday, 11th February, 2021. She urged members of the public to disregard the video.
