By Sunmola Olowookere
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At least four members of a family in Okunmo, a town under Okitipupa local government area along with their cohorts have been docked before an Akure high court judge. This came after they attacked another family in the community over a land tussle.
Appearing before Justice Adeyemi Fasanmi were; Franklin Oluwafemi Orunto, Orunto Omoloja Olorunnisola, Akinyemi Orunto, Francis Afuwape, Ige Sunday, Asogbon Gbenga, Hendoro Akinniyi and Adeleke Orunto Akinseloyin.
These eight men were docked on a six-count charge ranging from conspiracies, causing grievous harm, attempted murder to murder
The defendants were said to have committed the offences on February 12, 2020
They were alleged to have murdered one Femi Ogundipe by shooting him with a gun and did grievous harm to another victim, Ogundipe Adekunle by hitting him with a cutlass on his right hand thereby cutting it off.
They were also accused of attempting to murder Ogundipe Olawale by hitting him on the head among other parts of his body with a matchet.
Prior to these alleged crimes, they were accused of conspiring with others currently at large before the commission of the crimes.
Part of the allegations levelled against them was that they inflicted grievous harm on one Soji Akinbuwa by inflicting a matchet cut on his back.
As at the time of filing this report, their arraignment suffered a hitch as the sixth defendant who was on bail failed to appear in court.
According to impeccable sources, one of the victims, Ogundipe Olawale was with his younger brother, Adekunle who was also machetted and wounded during the attack. The duo had gone to work on their father’s farm.
Upon their return from the farm around 3 p.m on the fateful day, they were accosted by some men armed with cutlasses, guns and other dangerous weapons along Okitipupa /Igbokoda Road.
These men had reportedly pounced on the defenceless men and pummeled them with sticks and cutlasses. While the younger brother was hit on the hand, his elder brother was hit on the head. They were said to have been beaten until they were unconscious and left for dead.
Ogundipe Olawale recounted that it was a good Samaritan that saved his life by taking them to the hospital and he was revived there.
During the attack, Ogundipe was able to recognize some of the attackers and mentioned their names to the police while giving his statement.
When he was in the General Hospital Igbokoda, his wife hinted him that the same people had besieged their neighbourhood. In the process, they had shot and killed his younger brother, Femi Ogundipe.
The deceased, Femi Ogundipe and a sympathizer were said to be on the verge of visiting the victim when the said attackers besieged the neighbourhood where they lived in about four vehicles and began to shoot sporadically while touting AK 47 among other offensive weapons.
According to eye witness who hid during the invasion, the deceased was shot in cold blood on the order the leader of the group.
Before then, residents of the neighbourhood had fled for their lives and after the killing, the attackers too got into their vehicles and drove off towards Igbokoda Road.
After they left, the deceased was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.
Another eye witness who lived in the neighbourhood claimed that he saw most of the defendants docked before the court drove in to community in several vehicles while shooting into the air which made the residents to scamper for safety.
One of the community leaders, one Akinbuwa Olusoji said that the hoodlums who saw him by the road side and identified him also had devilish plan towards him.
He narrated how their leader told his gang who were armed with cutlasses and iron rod to kill him. It took the intervention of the people around who pleaded on his behalf before they let him go and drove off.
He said that it was later that he knew of the mayhem that they unleashed on the Ogundipe family in Okunmo.
The father of the deceased and his brothers that were attacked, Chief Felix Olajosagbe hinted to our source that he was the target of the Orunto family due to the land dispute between them.
He stated that he heard of the attack on his two sons; Olawale and Adekunle on the way to the farm and later heard sporadic shooting only to learn later that another son of his; Femi was killed in the shooting.
The case was later reported at the Okitipupa police station but the efforts to arrest the defendants then were not fruitful and the case was transferred to State CID Akure for further investigation.
As the men of State CID made efforts to effect their arrest, they were violently resisted. But the defendants were later arrested where they hid at the house of the first defendant.
They were brought to court by an information filed by the prosecution led by Taiwo Olubodun, Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution of the Ondo State Ministry of Justice.
Olubodun told the court that he was unable to serve the summons on the sixth defendant which was the reason why the case could not go on.
He thereafter sought the leave of court to serve the summons on the surety of the sixth defendant, one Asogbon Gbenga.
After granting the application of the prosecution, the trial judge, Justice Adeyemi Fasanmi had thereafter adjourned the case till January 20, 2022 for arraignment and trial.