Iwoye-Aiyedun: Jawondo, Justice Commissioner, DPP lied In Iwoye, chieftaincy case– Lawyer

Emmanuel Kehinde, ILORIN

 Iwoye, a community in Kwara State, has alleged  that Salman Jawondo, SAN, commissioner for Justice and the state Attorney general, has told   blatent untruths in legal matters involving Iwoye on the one hand and Aiyedun, another community.

Both communities have been on a number of legal tussle over Chieftaincy title matter for which stakeholders of Iwoye accuse the state government through the ministry of Justice of being largely partisan and not allowing the course of justice to prevail in the matter.

Speaking on behalf of Iwoye, Barrister Akinmade Abolarin said that aside rampantly interfering in court process in the matter, Jawondo and his office have told lies recently when they claimed, falsely, that a chieftain of Iwoye, Late Michael Sunday Ayantola, was convicted by the court over conflict on the Chieftaincy tussle with Ayedun.

But explaining the court ruling, allegedly so presented by Jowondo as a conviction, through the ministry’s director of public prosecution, DPP, Mumini Adebimpe, SAN, Abolarin said that  Late Ayantola, who while alive was his client, was not convicted by the judgment of any court on the matter at hand.

“The judge in his judgment at page 32, said, “However, rather than proceed to convict the defendant, I will use the provision of sections 445 and, 446 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law,” the lawyer said.

Explaining further the import of the ruling, his late client, rather than being convicted was asked to make a regular reporting to the Police headquarters in Ilorin, which he did until he died.

Jawondo, had earlier briefed the newsmen in Ilorin of this outcome being debunked in November when Iwoye community accused him of undue interference in a case it has against Oba Olusegun Abayomi of Aiyedun, on an alleged matter bordering on forgery and thuggery sponsorship on members of the Iwoye community.

The community claims that on a number of occasions, the office of the DPP had entered a ‘nolli prosequi’ on the case, ie, a discontinuance of the case even though the matter was entered through Direct Complaint, DC.

Explaining to the newspaper in November the rationale behind his office’s action, Jawondo had said that such options were taken to prevent the abuse of the power of DC, which is often manifest in the intention to embarrass people rather than seek justice on a matter.

Adebimpe, SAN and DPP, further went further to assert further on the matter, stating that Ayantola was indeed convicted among other claims.

He asserted, for instance that Ayantola’s co defendants gave evidence against him.

But Abolarin debunked all this claim made by the state’s DPP. 

He insisted that co-defendants alongside Ayantola never gave evidence against him in the said matter. 

Given names by DPP of the said co-defendants with Ayantola in the case where the Attorney General entered a “nolle prosequi” were,  Mr. Todimu Fayomi, Bisi Adebayo Arinde, Samuel Rotimi Adeyemi, James Agbede (Olu Isowu).

But against this, the witnesses in the matter as listed by court document according to Abolarin are DSP Abdulrahim Oba Sule, (PW1), Oba Olusegun Abayomi Rotimi (PW2), Anthony Bola Olatunji (Oloriare) (PW3), Sadiq Oloyinbo Shuaib (PW4), ASP Bilikis Suleiman (PW5).