A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Okitipupa, Ondo State, has ordered the remand of a 25-year-old man, Ayo Ajibade, over the alleged theft of four tubers of yam valued at N10,000—a case that has once again drawn attention to the intersection of poverty, crime, and justice at the grassroots.
Ajibade was on Friday remanded at the Okitipupa Correctional Centre by Chief Magistrate Mayowa Olanipekun, following his guilty plea to a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing. The court adjourned the matter till January 29, 2026, for judgment.
According to the prosecution, led by ASP Ayodeji Omoyeigha, the incident occurred in the early hours of October 25, 2025, at Kiribo community in Igbekebo area of the state. Ajibade was alleged to have conspired with another suspect—still at large—to unlawfully enter the farm of one Olorunjuwon Igbasan at about 5:00 a.m.
The prosecutor told the court that the suspects allegedly made away with four tubers of yam from the farm, an offence said to contravene Sections 516 and 390(9) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
With the defendant’s guilty plea, the court ordered his remand pending judgment, effectively placing a young man behind bars over produce worth N10,000.
While the law is clear on the offence and its punishment, the case has quietly reignited conversations around minor property crimes and the social realities that often underlie them—particularly in rural communities grappling with economic hardship.
For now, the court awaits its next sitting, while Ajibade remains in custody, his fate tied to a decision that underscores the sharp contrast between the value of the alleged theft and the weight of the legal consequences that follow.