An Oyo State Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ogbomoso has sentenced a former lawmaker, Dr. Folaranmi Oyebamiji, to 16 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy, false publication, forgery, murder threats and conducts likely to cause breach of peace.
Chief Magistrate Muideen Salami however granted the convict N500,000 fine in lieu of the sentence.
Salami sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment for conspiracy with option of N150,000 fine, three months for false publication/defamation or N150,000 fine, six months for forgery or N100,000 fine and one month for threat to murder or N100,000 fine.
The sentence is run concurrently, Magistrate Salami said.
Oyebamiji, a former House of Representatives member from Ogbomoso South, was arraigned in 2021 by the Oyo State Police Command with a 94-year-old Oko Town traditional title holder, Mathew Wojuade Ademola, and five others – Wojuade Gbemiga, Wojuade Philip, Bello Semiu Opeyemi, Eyolade Joshua Adewumi, and Adeniyi Idowu.
They were charged with alleged conspiracy to murder High Chief Solomon Ojedayo in Oko Town, a suburb of Ogbomoso.
After the prosecution had called five witnesses against the defendants, the six other defendants except Oyebamji informed the court on December 22, 2023, through Dr. Tayo Oyewale, that they had deposed to separate affidavits in Ibadan High Court Registry in which they had settled with the complainant,Chief Ojedayo. Their names were therefore struck out from the charge, leaving Oyebamji to open his defence to the charge brought against him.
At the conclusion of trial and submission of written addresses, the court yesterday reviewed the case and found Oyebamji guilty.
