Dethroned Lagos traditional ruler sentenced to 15 years in prison for faking own kidnap

A Lagos high court has sentenced Mutiu Ogundare, dethroned Baale of Shangisha in Magodo area of Lagos state, to 15 years’ imprisonment for faking his own abduction.

The sentence was handed down by Hakeem Oshodi, the judge, on Tuesday.

Olarewaju Ajanaku, the defence counsel, in his allocutus on June 15, asked 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.

However, Jubril Kareem, the state prosecutor, asked the court to apply the provisions of law to sentence the convict.

The prosecution said Ogundare put himself forward to be kidnapped for the purpose of causing a breach of public peace, adding that his brother and wife aided him in the crime.

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

The court, however, discharged and acquitted Ogundare’s wife.

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

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

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

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

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.

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