Land Grabbing Turning Investors Away says Fapohunda...Seeks Support of Traditional Rulers to curb Menace

By
Abasi Femi Oguntayo


Ekiti State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda has explained to traditional rulers in the State that land grabbing was sufficient to turn investors away from the State and asked for their support in curbing the menace.
Fapohunda who made this plea on Tuesday, 26th March 2019, during an interactive session with the traditional rulers at the Governor’s Office Conference hall, Ado-Ekiti explained further that the menace of land grabbing among others was the centre of many violent cases in the state.

The commissioner also stated that the state was experiencing a high incidence of child rape, a development he said had become a challenge to core values of Ekiti people.

According to Fapohunda, Kayode Fayemi administration's has zero tolerance for sex offences and all forms of violence against women and children and other measures have been put in place to curb the unholy act in addition to prosecution.

“Violence against women and children is a major problem that we are experiencing now in Ekiti state, we are vigorously working on the issue of wife battering because our legislation in that regard is not adequate
“But the issue that saddened us most is the issue of rape and child defilement. It is becoming an embarrassment to the state, it challenges our values and the worse part of it is that it seems as if we are all used to it. It is the fact that we have all come to a stage in Ekiti state where we are not shocked that an old man is having carnal knowledge of a two- year- old child.

“We know that legislation alone cannot do this, we are vigorously prosecuting sex offenders, in many cases, I, as Attorney General will personally lead the prosecution against any sex offender because Fayemi government has zero tolerance to sexual violence in the state”, he said.

Mr Fapohunda also urged the traditional rulers to forward judgments that emanate from their palace courts to the state government, stressing that the state government has mapped out plans to compile such judgments into a compendium.

He posited that traditional rulers play a very important role in the administration of justice, adding that palace courts were recognised by the government to dispense justice to the people of their communities.

He stressed that the reason for the compendium was to set an example of best practices in the form of law reports to be known as Ekiti Palace Law reports. This according to him would enable people to know the quality of judgments from Ekiti palace courts.
Responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, the Oloye of Oye Ekiti, Oluwole Ademolaju and the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Adeyemo Adejugbe appreciated the government for the move to curb rape and child defilement as well as land grabbing in the state adding that the menace had been major concerns of many community leaders.

The traditional rulers promised to look into the document, deliberate on it and forward their decisions to the Ministry of Justice.

They promised to throw their full weight on any legislation that would bring improvement to the quality of lives of the people of the state as well as preserve the integrity of the state.

Also present at the interactive session were, Permanent Secretary and Solicitor General of the ministry of Justice, Lawrence Ojo, Directors and legal officers in the State Ministry of Justice.