The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Monday upheld the 15-year prison sentence of Mutiu Ogundare, the dethroned Baale of Shangisha in Magodo, Lagos State.
Ogundare was convicted of orchestrating a fake abduction, which had previously led to his sentencing by Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on September 27, 2022.
Ogundare, unhappy with the verdict, filed an appeal. Justice Paul Bassi, who presided over a three-judge panel, affirmed the lower court’s rulings on counts one and two but reversed the conviction on count three.
The panel reduced Ogundare’s sentence to 12 years, with 10 years for the first count and 2 years for the second count. The sentence for the third count, related to false representation, was overturned.
The ruling received backing from Justices Abdullahi Bayero and Folashade Ojo, who agreed with the lead judgment. Ogundare was first remanded in Kirikiri Prison on July 16, 2017, after being accused of orchestrating a false kidnapping.
Ogundare, his wife Abolanle, and his brother Opeyemi Mohammed faced charges of conspiracy, breach of peace, and staging a fake kidnapping by the Lagos State Government.
Justice Oshodi, on June 15, 2022, convicted Ogundare and his brother Opeyemi Mohammed, and scheduled the judgment for September 27, 2022.
However, before the conviction, Ogundare’s lawyer, Olarewaju Ajanaku, appealed to the court to show leniency in his allocutus.
Ajanaku informed the court that the defendant had undergone a transformation and did not fully consider the consequences of his actions when he committed the offense.
In his allocutus, the second defense counsel, Dr. Olayinka Owoeye, appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy, emphasized that the convict, Mohammed, had learned his lesson.
The kidnapping incident occurred on July 5, 2017. However, Ogundare later admitted to security services that he had orchestrated the abduction to extort money from the state government.
He was allegedly kidnapped by three men on Centre for Management Development Road, Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area.
The Baale reportedly received a phone call from prospective developers expressing interest in a piece of land within his jurisdiction.
The callers provided Ogundare with the meeting location, leading him to drive there with his brother, Mohammed.
Upon arriving at the location, the three men requested that the Baale and his brother join them in their white Toyota Venza to visit the land.
The Baale’s brother reportedly saw that one of the men was carrying a gun. He raised an alarm, but the suspected kidnapper responded by pushing him out of the vehicle and fleeing with the Baale.
Following the incident, former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode ordered Ogundare’s removal as Baale of Shangisha.