The police on Friday, arraigned 12 men in an Ile-Ife Magistrates’ Court in Osu, for allegedly damaging economic trees worth N30million.
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The police charged Okon Effiong, 40; Segun Babalola, 44; Junior Sunday, 36; Stephen Olah, 28; Ndidi Chuks, 35; Aboyi Moses, 36; Andrew Ogah, 22, Yusuf AbdulRaheem, 54; Sunday Alabi, 39; Jimoh Yusuf, 65; Idowu Albart, 45 and Samuel Edoh, 28 with conspiracy, forceful entrance, breach of public peace and malicious damage.
he Prosecution Counsel, ASP Adebayo Joseph, told the court that the defendants committed the offence on Jan 29, around 1 p.m. at Onda Village of Osun Government Reserved.
Joseph alleged that the defendants conspired together and broke into the Government Reserved Forest.
He added that the defendants conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of public peace.
Joseph alleged that the defendants disobeyed all warning and instruction from the Ministry Forestry Solid Mineral and Natural Resources to vacate the government reserved forest.
According to him, the defendants maliciously damaged nurse trees and Millennia trees inside the forest reserve, worth N30 million belonging to the Osun State Government.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 81, 249, 451 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.
Defence Counsel, Mrs Mariam Lai-Ibrahim, urged the court to grant her clients bail in the most liberal terms.
Magistrate Joseph Owolawi admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N200,000 each with one surety each.
Owolawi added that sureties must swear to an affidavit of means, resides within the court jurisdiction as well as presents three recent passport photograph each.
He adjourned the case until Feb 17, for hearing.