{
  "id": 11068013,
  "title": "Two men acquitted of land theft charges",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/two-men-acquitted-of-land-theft-charges-11068013",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T00:46:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/two-men-acquitted-of-land-theft-charges/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 17, 2026, the Lagos State High Court acquitted two men, Lawal Ige and Ajiboye Ayinla Iroko, of accusations related to land theft in the state's Alimosho Local Government Area. Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe ruled that the prosecution could not prove the six charges against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt. Ige faced all six charges, while Iroko was accused of the first four and the final one. The charges included conspiracy, theft, forgery, and using false documents to allegedly coerce the execution of documents under false pretenses. The alleged dispute involved a 10.503-hectare parcel of land in Igando Town, which Prince Osibote claimed as his own. The trial began on February 1, 2024, and lasted until February 26, 2026. The prosecution presented three witnesses but failed to provide any title documents establishing Osibote's ownership or authenticate the documents in question. The court also rejected the prosecution's arguments that the defendants conspired to steal the land and forged the documents.",
  "summary": "A Lagos High Court has acquitted Lawal Ige and Ajiboye Iroko of land theft, forgery, and conspiracy charges, ruling the EFCC failed to prove its case. Read More: https://punchng.com/two-men-acquitted-of-land-theft-charges/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Two men acquitted of land theft charges",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/two-men-acquitted-of-land-theft-charges",
        "published": "2026-10-01T00:42:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}