A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State Capital, has discharged the traditional ruler of Agbado in Ifo Local Government Area of the state, Oba Adedayo Shyllon Sogbulu, in a cybercrime case petitioned by Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo.
Penpushing reports that Justice Abiodun Adeyemi dismissed the suit with the charge number FHC/AB/79C/2025 which lasted nearly eight months, after the prosecution failed to arraign the monarch across five separate court appearances.
The judge declared that justice delayed is denied and struck out the case, pointing out that the court cannot continue to allow a charge to hang over the head of the defendant, who is also a traditional ruler.
“This is the fifth occasion on which this matter has been called, and the prosecutor is still unable to arraign the defendant. Justice must be fair, but it must also be expeditious’, Adeyemi emphaised.
Penpushing also reports that, it is recalled that the case commenced in June last year with a social media post attributed to the Alagbado of Agbado, in which a video of the monarch performing traditional rites was manipulated to falsely claim that he intended to kill Alake and his family, leading to his designation as the suspect.
The reports showed that a blogger, identified as Sadiq Adisa, allegedly accessed the post and altered it to read that the monarch was threatening to kill the Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, and his family.
Penpushing reports that the Lagos charge sheet, indicated that a manipulated communication was designed to be considered or acted upon as if it were authentic or genuine, and following a petition submitted by Alake, Ogun State Police Command invited Alagbado for a joint interview, however, the defendant was shocked by the turn of events.
“They invited me roughly three or four days later, with the expectation that we would attend the interview with one or more other parties, only to serve me with a prepared charge sheet from the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, naming me as a defendant’, the monarch stated.
Penpushing further reports that, the Director of Public Prosecutions on September 16, 2025 submitted a formal request to the court, invoking Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, seeking to take over the case from the police.
The judge on September 23, 2025, granted the application, while the Attorney General of Federation (AGF’s) intervention did not expedite proceedings, as of March 3, 2026, the fifth time the matter was called, prosecution counsel H. A. Ashesim again appeared before the court to request a further adjournment.
Penpushing also reports that Chief Adekunle Funmilayo, counsel for Sogbulu, in a swift response objected to the adjournment, arguing that the actual perpetrator had since been identified and charged to court in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the judge consented, invoking Section 36 of the Constitution, which upholds the right to a fair hearing and trial within a reasonable timeframe, and dismissed the case.
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