Fake kidnapping: Dethroned Magodo Baale Jail Term Affirmed by Appeal Court

By Steve Aya | Posted July, 2024

The Court of Appeal Lagos Division on Monday affirmed the sentence of the dethroned Baale of Shangisha in Magodo, Mutiu Ogundare for faking his own abduction.

Two years after Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High in Ikeja, sentenced the dethroned Baale of Shangisha in Magodo, Mutiu Ogundare to 15 years imprisonment for faking his own abduction on September 27, 2022.

The Court of Appeal Lagos Division on Monday affirmed the sentence of the dethroned Baale of Shangisha in Magodo for faking his own abduction.

Ogundare, dissatisfied with the judgment had approached the appeal court to challenge the decision of the lower court that sentenced.

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

Delivering its judgment, the lead Justice of the three-man, Justice Peter Bassi who also delivered the judgment, upheld the judgment of the lower court in counts one and two and upturned count three. Other Justices of the panel are Justice Bayero and Folashade Ojo, who agreed with the lead justice.

Bassi said that Ogundare’s appeal succeeds 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 counts two, respectively.”

On the third count, the court upturned the sentence in respect of false representation to release a kidnapped person.

The convict was first remanded on July 16, 2017, in Kirikiri Prison, by an Ogba Magistrate’s 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 Opeyemi Mohammed and reserved judgment till September 27, 2022.

Before their conviction, Ogundare’s counsel Olarewaju Ajanaku, in his allocutus 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.

The second defence counsel, Dr. Olayinka Owoeye, also in his allocutus prayed the court to temper justice with mercy adding that the convict (Mohammed), had learnt his lessons.

However, the state prosecution counsel Jubril Kareem, urged the court to apply the provisions of law to sentence the convict. Kareem said Ogundare put himself forward to be kidnapped for the purpose of causing the breach of public peace, adding that his brother and wife aided him in the crime.

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

Ogundare and Mohammed, were convicted on three counts bordering on conspiracy and fake abduction.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted Ogundare’s wife, Abolanle saying that she had no link to the offences.

“I have considered the allocutus of the defence counsel. However, it is in the view of this court that the convicts showed no remorse during the trial,” Oshodi said.

“In fact, the first convict (Ogundare), tried to buy his way out of the court. A lesson has to be thought to serve as a deterrent to others.

“The Ogundare and Mohammed are hereby sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for count one without an option of fine, one year imprisonment on count two with an option of N200,000 and 15 years imprisonment for count three without an option of fine.

“The sentencing shall run concurrently from the day they had been arrested.”

Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com

The said kidnap took place on July 5, 2017, but Ogundare later confessed to security services that he staged the kidnap to blackmail the state government. He was allegedly abducted by three men along the Centre for Management Development Road, Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area.

The Baale was said to have received a phone call from alleged developers, who had indicated interest in a landed property within his domain. The callers told the Baale where to meet them, prompting Ogundare to drive to the address with one of his brothers, Mohammed.

On arriving at the location, the three men appealed to the Baale and his brother to join them in their White Toyota Venza so that they could go and see the land.

It was stated that on their way, the Baale’s brother noticed one of the men had a gun with him and he raised alarm and the suspected kidnapper pushed the Baale’s brother out of the vehicle and sped off with the Baale.

In the same month, the former governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, ordered the removal of Ogundare as the baale of Shangisha.