An Oyo State Chief Magistrate Court has convicted and sentenced a former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Folaranmi Oyebamiji, from Ogbomoso South, to one year and four months imprisonment for forgery and threat to murder one High Chief Solomon Ojedayo.

Chief Magistrate Muideen Salami who delivered judgement in a case marked MOG/190c/2021, however, granted a fine of N500,000 to the convict in lieu of the sentence.

The politician was sentenced to six months on count one which borders on conspiracy with an option of a N150,000 fine; three months for false publication/defamation with a fine of N150,000; six months for forgery with an option of a fine worth N100,000; and one month for threatening to murder. The sentence was to run concurrently.

Five witnesses were called by the prosecution against the defendant.

After the submission of written addresses by both counsels, the court found Oyebamji guilty of all three counts despite his defence that he was on admission at the UCH, Ibadan on 17th December 2019 and discharged on January 18, 2020.

The court said, “The accused person only tendered his photograph with crutches, neck girdle, without a vehicle inspection report of the accident. There was no photo of the accidental vehicle to support his defence. The alibi according to decided authorities must have been promptly and lucidly disclosed to the police during the investigation. It is the considered opinion of this court that the alibi is an after-thought which cannot avail the accused person”.

The Chief Magistrate Salami held that “the evidence, both oral and written, weighed against the defendant. So, the prosecution had manifestly proved its case against the defendant. The 7th accused person is therefore found guilty and is accordingly convicted”.

He was later sentenced to sixteen months imprisonment with an option of N500,000.

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