Court issues warrant of arrest on monarch alleged to have raped corps member

Oba
Adebukola Alli 

An Osogbo Magistrate Court on Friday issued a warrant of arrest on the Alowa of Ilowa in Obokun Local Government Council of Osun State, Oba Adebukola Alli, alleged to have raped a 24-year-old female corps member, Miss Helen Okpara, serving in his domain.

The presiding magistrate, Adewumi Makanjuola, issued the warrant on the monarch for failing to appear in court yesterday.

Tewo Lamuye, counsel to Oba Alli, told the court that his client could not appear in court yesterday because he was rushed to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo for suffering stroke.

“I am very sorry for the absence of the accused person. I spoke with him on phone about coming to court but he told me he was sick and receiving treatment in the hospital.

“I personally went to LAUTECH to see him and I was told by the doctor that Oba Alli has stroke. I waited for more than two hours, I couldn’t talk to him and I demanded for his medical report from the doctor, who said that no doctor can issue the medical report except the Chief Medical Director.

“The doctor also told me that the traditional ruler has been reffered to OAUTHC for CT scanning,” the counsel told the court.

The counsel also said that he spoke with the monarch’s wife, whom he said told him that instead of taking him to Ile-Ife, they had decided to go the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan for proper treatment.

The counsel prayed that the court accept his client’s absence.
But the prosecutor, Mr. Mattew Adedokun, a senior state counsel, who opposed the defence’s counsel’s prayer, insisted that the issue of law must be follwed.

He demanded that even if the morach was actually sick, there must be a medical report to show that he was actually on admission at the hospital.

The prosecutor, therefore, urged the court to diregard the submission of the defence counsel and prayed the court to issue a bench warrant on the monarch and his sureties to show up at the next sitting.

The defence counsel countered the prosecutor, urging the court to disregard the application for the issuance of the bench warrant on the monarch.

In his ruling, the presiding magistrate, Adewumi Makanjuola, stood down the case for about two hours and ordered both the defence counsel and prosecutor to go to the hospital and get the medical report on the monarch’s state of health.

By Adesoji Adeniyi

Source : www.thenationonlineng.net