Assault: Court Insists Oluwo Must Appear in Person

Ololade Adeyanju/

An Osogbo Magistrates’ Court yesterday ordered the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, to appear in person for the hearing on the charge of assault filed against him by the Agbowu of Ogbaagba, Oba Dirkrullahi Akinropo.

Oba Akinropo filed a suit accusing Oba Akanbi of assault at a peace meeting in the office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone XI, on February 14.

Oba Akinropo’s counsel, Soji Oyetayo, on March 6 sought and got relief of the court to file an application to compel the Oluwo to appear in person for trial.

Addressing the court when the matter came up yesterday, Oyetayo urged the court to issue a bench warrant for the Oluwo’s arrest over his failure to appear before the court.

He said the defendant was duly served with the court process and should have appeared in person.

But in a counter-argument, lawyer for the Oluwo, Tiamiyu Adegboyega, said the application was served on the office of his client around 12.45pm on March 18.

He claimed that the monarch had not been served the process personally.

He urged the court to discountenance the application for bench warrant for the  Oluwo’s arrest, saying it had no basis in law.

Ruling on the application, the Magistrate, Olusegun Ayilara, ordered that Oba Akanbi should appear before the court in person on April 3 when the matter would come up again.

According to him, the matter being a quasi-criminal matter, will require the Oluwo’s presence in court and directed that hearing notice should be pasted on the walls of his residence.

He added that hearing notice should also be forwarded to Oba Akanbi’s verifiable phone number.

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