61-year-old Ondo farmer arraigned over alleged cocoa farm invasion
By Boye Oyeyemi
A 61-year-old farmer, Joseph Obie, has been arraigned before an Akure Magistrate’s Court in Ondo State over allegations of unlawfully entering a cocoa farm and destroying several cocoa trees.
Obie was brought before Magistrate Temitope Adurota on a four-count charge of conspiracy, forcible entry, malicious damage and contempt of court.
The prosecution alleged that Obie, alongside other suspects who remain at large, unlawfully entered a cocoa plantation belonging to Akinrolabu Abiodun at Ita Elemu, Oigbe, along Ipetu Road, Ile-Oluji, between June and July 2026.
According to the prosecution, the defendant and his alleged accomplices entered the plantation in a manner capable of causing a breach of peace and subsequently destroyed several cocoa trees, although the estimated value of the damage was not disclosed to the court.
The police also accused Obie of disobeying an earlier court order issued on May 15, 2026, in Charge No. MAK/601C/2022, involving the defendant and Oyebade Olumide.
The prosecution told the court that the alleged disobedience amounted to contempt punishable under Section 133 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006, while Obie pleaded not guilty to all four charges.
Following his plea, the prosecutor requested an adjournment, saying the prosecution intended to call five witnesses, while defence counsel, Oladele Ayoola, urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.
Magistrate Adurota granted Obie bail of one million naira with two sureties in like sum, requiring one surety to be a family member and the other a civil servant not below Grade Level 12, and adjourned the case until Sept. 7, 2026, for further hearing.
