|By Sunmola Olowookere

A middle age man, Abiodun Eniola who lives at Onimalu area, Ijoka road, Akure has been dragged before a Magistrate Court sitting at the new court complex  Akure, Ondo state capital for allegedly taking money fraudulently for a land he never had to sell.

According to the charge sheet which was read to him in open court, he was alleged to have taken the sum of N110, 000 from the complainant, one Mrs. Kemi Olupinla under the guise of selling her a plot of land at Onimalu where he also resides while he never had any land to sell.

This transaction was said to have taken place in 2006, twelve years ago, a situation which made Magistrate J.O Adedapo to wonder how the crime took that long before the complainant sought redress with the court.

The accused person was also accused of stealing 10 tipper lorry loads of sand and five tipper lorry loads of gravels; all properties of the complainant which she had tipped on the plot in a bid to start a building project.

The accused person who professed to be a farmer pleaded “not guilty” to all the count charges that were preferred against him when they were read to him by an official of the court.

The prosecutor, Ayoola Makinde told the court that the prosecution would be calling four prosecution witnesses to testify in the case.

He also applied for a short adjournment to enable him study the case file and also arrange his witnesses.

Counsel to the accused person, F. Ajayi said that he was not opposed to the application for adjournment by the prosecution while he applied before the court for the bail of his client on most liberal terms.

He appealed to the court to show mercy towards his client as he had never been charged to court before on any criminal matter.

He also stated that the accused person had a failing health which he needs to treat at the hospital while he directed his client to show to the court the medication he had been taken.

The presiding magistrate thereafter granted the accused person bail in the sum of N100, 000 and two sureties in like sum among other conditions that must be met by the defense team in the perfection of the bail.

The case was then adjourned to the 2nd of October, 2018 for hearing.