Two persons have been sentenced to seven and five years in jail, respectively, by an Ondo State High Court in Akure, the state capital on Wednesday.
The convicts, Stella Akinbobola and Adewumi Matthew Opeyemi were found guilty of forceful entry and felony conspiracy.
The police command in Ondo town dragged the convicts to court for illegal land invasion.
The trial judge, Justice Williams Rotimi Olamide, found the duo guilty but found the third defendant, Ojopaun Tope, not guilty.
On each of the charges, Justice Olamide granted Stella the choice of a fine of N250,000, while Matthew was given the option of a fine of N100,000 on counts 1 to 4.
The two were charged with forgery and altering a Warrant of Possession after it had been signed by His Lordship, Justice Bode Adegbehingbe, using corrective fluid.
The suspects were also accused of inserting Claimant in the column where 1st defendant was originally written and inserting 1st defendant where Claimant was originally written.
The duo’s actions resulted in the wrong party gaining possession of land that belonged to the legitimate owners.
The issue was taken up by Joseph Akinlaja, who supported the complaints in the case, seeing that the two defendants forcibly took over lands that belong to other people.
The decision, according to Akinlaja, a former member of the House of Representatives, shows that the judiciary is the ordinary man’s hope.
