A tenant in Akure, Ondo State capital, Mr. Niyi Aguda, has petitioned the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, accusing a serving Magistrate, Kolawole Aro, of abuse of judicial office and denial of fair hearing.
In the petition dated September 23, 2025, Aguda alleged that on September 19, two individuals, identified as Oyekanmi Isijola and Olaniran Isijola, stormed his residence with policemen attached to the Area Command, Akure. According to him, they forcibly ejected him, threw out his belongings, and changed the locks under the pretext of executing a court order purportedly issued by Magistrate Aro.
Aguda claimed the order was improperly obtained, saying the motion that led to it was filed and granted the same day without service of court processes on him or his landlady, Mrs. Mary Isijola, who resides abroad. He argued that the action violated his constitutional right to fair hearing.
“It is against the principle of fair hearing for a magistrate to grant a motion on notice on the same day it was filed, without affording the affected parties the opportunity to be served and heard,” Aguda stated in the petition, which also included a copy of the enrolment of order.
He further argued that the development has generated public concern and eroded confidence in the judiciary, urging the Chief Judge to investigate the matter and take appropriate disciplinary measures to protect the integrity of the courts.
Copies of the petition have also been forwarded to the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission in Akure for administrative action.
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