As the Oyo State High Court 11 resumes hearing on the case of alleged murder preferred against the duo of Mr Kazeem Rasheed alias Olofin and Mr Ismail Jamiu of Modeke Quarters, Igboho, Oyo State, today, the Movement for Justice and Order and Peace (M-JOP) has called on the court not to cave in to blackmail and underhand tactics being employed to secure bail for the suspects.
This was just as it tasked the court to invite and sanction a self-acclaimed human rights organisation, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) for working hard to pervert the course of justice.
The movement particularly called on the court to issue an arrest warrant against one Pastor Michael Agassi, who according to it, “purports himself to be the Assistant General Secretary of the CHRSJ” for working in cahoots with some elements to misrepresent the “res” or the facts of the case with a view to blackmailing the court.
A statement signed by the General Secretary of M-JOP, John Ignatius, called on the Oyo State Government, which is the plaintiff in the case to prosecute the matter diligently, while also charging Honourable Justice Olusola Adebisi Adetujoye not to succumb to underhand tactics being employed by those seeking to bend the will of justice in favour of the defendants.
According to the state, though the case had to do with some hoodlums from Modeke Quarters in Igboho, Oorelope Local Government Area, allegedly led by the accused duo, trespassing lands that belonged to Obaago Community during which they attacked and killed Pa Jimoh Alias Baba Odo Owo and his son, Wasiu Idowu Jimoh on March 28, 2024, CHRSJ has been lying to the public by making the arrest and ongoing prosecution of the accused look like a political witch hunt.
The M-JOP condemned the CHRSJ for trying to blackmail the Oyo State Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal, the immediate past Commissioner for Police, Ayodele Sonubi and others over the ongoing prosecution, employing all dirty means to seek bail for suspected murderers.
It noted that the court, as the last bastion of the common man, must stand its ground against the shenanigans of the phony human rights group and its financier, who are politicians from Igboho.
The statement read: “We learnt that the murder case involving the duo of Mr Kazeem Rasheed Olofin and Mr Ismail Jamiu, who allegedly acted with others still at large, to attack and allegedly kill a father and son in Igboho, Oorelope Local Government, Oyo State, is coming up today.
“We equally learnt that one self-acclaimed human rights organisation, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), has been working hard to pervert the cause of justice by trying to make the matter, which is a pure murder case, look like a political witch hunt.
“We understand that the CHRSJ has been going about accusing anyone and everyone for being behind the arrest and prosecution of the accused duo, claiming that they were arrested on the order of the Oyo State Deputy Governor because they were loyalists of a former Deputy Governor.
“We have been made to understand that the claim is far from the truth and that it was a case of trespassing, brigandage and murder and has nothing to do with politics.
“We equally learnt that the Obaago Community, Igboho, which suffered the losses of two members, Pa Jimoh Alias Baba Odo Owo of Alepata Family and his 37-year-old son, has been issuing rebuttals against the attempt to politicise the case before the honourable court.
“It is on the back of these positions, that we, as a pro-justice body, call on the honourable court to call CHRSJ to order, especially one Pastor Michael Agassi, to desist from seeking to pervert the course of justice.
“It is strange that any human rights group would take a brief to dree suspected killers when the other accused individuals are still at large and witnesses in the case are still in the community where they perpetrated the crimes unprotected.
“We would also like to put it on record that failure of the human rights organisation to back down from the ignoble road will see us take legal actions against them and maybe when that is done, we can finally expose the politicians or moneybag sponsoring them to distract the court.”
