A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State
capital, has sentenced a prophetess, Felicia Oyelade, to two years’
imprisonment for forging land documents and selling same to unsuspecting
members of the public.
The 59-year-old prophetess was said to be in charge of the Christ Apostolic Church, Ori Oke Basiri, along Idanre Road, Akure.
She had been standing trial on one count of forgery since 2013
following an allegation that she altered documents showing an agreement
between her late husband, Olasunkanmi Oyelade, and the complainant in
the matter, Mr. Isaac Babalola.
According to the prosecution counsel, Mr. Adewale Bamisile, the
convict altered the original documents to read 12 hectares of land
purchased at a cost of N35,000, instead of 7.871 hectares purchased for
N25,500 by her late husband in 1977.
The prosecutor had said, “Oyelade’s shady deeds was exposed when she
sold a portion of the land around Preston College, along kilometre 4,
Akure-Owo Road, Akure, to an unsuspecting buyer with the forged document
after the same land had been sold to another person by the rightful
owner and complainant in the matter, Mr. Isaac Babalola.”
Oyelade had pleaded not guilty to the charge of forgery levelled
against her, saying she was part of the transaction between her husband
and Babalola’s family when the land was bought.
She said the documents were found in her husband’s room after the
demise of her husband and that she had relied on it to sell the land to
the people.
After a plea for leniency because of Oyelade’s “teeming dependants
and the church she was leading” by the convicts lawyer, Mr. Dele
Ibitayo, the presiding magistrate, Chief Magistrate Olubukola Kuye,
ordered that the altered documents be destroyed.
He also stated that the prosecution had proved the case of forgery
against the convict beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced her to two
years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.
