A 38-year-old cleric, Prophet Iseoluwa Oladoye, was on Thursday arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo for alleged assault.

Oladoye was dragged to court by the Nigeria Police, Osun State Police Command, on four counts bordering on conspiracy, assault and threat to life.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Lamidi Rasaq, informed the court that the defendant and others at large conspired among themselves to inflict machete cuts on the bodies of a traditional chief, Tunde Onilewura, and another, Habeeb Onilewura.

Rasaq said that the clergyman committed the offence sometime in the month of March, 2025, in Osogbo.

According to him, he beat the duo with a cutlass and inflicted injuries on their bodies.

He added that the defendant used another dangerous weapon to threaten the life of the complainants.

The prosecutor argued that the offence was allegedly committed contrary to and punishable under Sections 86, 351, 356, 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol II, Laws of Osun State, Nigeria, 2002.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

The counsel to the defendant, Sola Ajao, applied for the bail of the defendant in most liberal terms, noting that Oladoye is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.

Presiding Chief Magistrate, Olusegun Ayilara, granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with one surety

He added that the surety must present a valid means of identification.

The case was adjourned till February 24 for hearing.

In other news, residents of New Ekuri Community in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State have raised the alarm over alleged illegal logging activities in their community forest, warning that the situation could threaten peace if not urgently addressed by authorities.

At a press briefing on Thursday in Calabar, the community, led by Dr. Martins Egot, Executive Director of the Panacea for Developmental and Infrastructural Challenges for Africa Initiative (PADIC-Africa), accused Ezemac International Limited, owned by Mr. Ezenwa Igwe, of unlawfully entering and harvesting timber from the New Ekuri Community Forest without consent.Dr. Egot, speaking on behalf of the people and traditional leadership of New Ekuri, said the forest is a community-owned asset protected under customary law and recognised community forestry frameworks, and stressed that no company has the right to operate there without the community’s free, prior and informed consent.

He described New Ekuri as a globally recognised model of community-led forest conservation, noting that the people have voluntarily preserved over 33,600 hectares of rainforest for decades, rejecting large-scale commercial logging in favour of sustainable forest management.

According to him, trouble began on January 12, 2026, when community youths conducting routine road maintenance heard heavy machinery operating deep within the forest. On investigation, they allegedly found two bulldozers, an excavator and four trucks actively felling and removing timber.