The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Monday affirmed the conviction and sentence of the dethroned Baale of Shangisha, Magodo, Mutiu Ogundare, for faking his own kidnapping.
The appellate court reduced the convict’s 15-year jail term to 12.
Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court had on September 27, 2022 sentenced the convict to 15 years imprisonment for the offence.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, Ogundare approached the appellate court to challenge the decision of the lower court that convicted him.
During proceedings, the state was represented by Jubril Kareem, while Kayode Ojo appeared for the appellant.
Delivering judgment, the lead Justice of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, Justice Peter Bassi, who read the judgment, upheld the judgment of the lower court in counts one and two and upturned count three.
Other Justices of the panel are Justices Bayero and Folashade Ojo, who agreed with the lead justice.
Justice Bassi said Ogundare’s appeal succeeded in part and reduced his sentence to 12 years.
The court, however, held: “The appellant is to serve 10 years imprisonment, for count one and two years for count two.”
On the third count, the court upturned the sentence in respect of false representation to release a kidnapped person.
The sentence will, however, run concurrently.
The convict was first remanded on July 16, 2017, in Kirikiri Prison, by an Ogba Magistrates’ Court, for allegedly faking his own kidnap.
Ogundare was prosecuted alongside his wife, Abolanle and brother, Opeyemi Mohammed.
They were arraigned on three counts bordering on conspiracy, breach of peace and fake kidnapping, preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.
Justice Oshodi, on June 15, 2022 convicted Ogundare and his brother, Mohammed and reserved judgment till September 27, 2022.
Before their conviction, Ogundare’s counsel, Olarewaju Ajanaku, in his allocutus, had pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Ajanaku told the court that the convict had turned a new leaf and that he did not think through his actions when he committed the offence.
