By Akinwale Kasali
The Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, who was arraigned on Tuesday before a Court has been granted bail. Oluomo was arraigned with two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
They were arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
Two others who had been remanded by anti graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before the Federal over alleged N2.475 billion money laundering. The Speaker has been granted bail to the tune of N300 million.
Justice Daniel Osiagor ordered that the three men should be remanded for one week in the EFCC’s custody, adding that if they failed to meet up with the bail condition, they would be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Those also arraigned are Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo and Adeyanju Amoke (now at large) on 11 counts of conspiracy, forgery, stealing and money laundering preferred against them by the EFCC.
EFCC prosecuting counsel Rotimi Oyedepo told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences between 2019 and 2022.
He said the incident took place in Ogun State.
Oyedepo told the court that they allegedly stole the sum of N2.475bn from the treasury of Ogun State House of Assembly.
When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty.
When the matter came up for arraignment on Tuesday, Mr Kehinde Ogunwunmiju, SAN, appeared for the first defendant, Akinyemi Aremu, for the second defendant and Oluwole Aladedoye for the third defendant.
On September 1, the EFFC’s Lagos Head of Legal Monitoring Unit, Rotimi Oyedepo, filed the charge at the Federal High Court, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The Commission said it intended to called at least 10 witnesses to testify and tender documents and exhibits.
The list of the witnesses includes Adamu Usman Yusuf, Otitoju Moses Kolawale, Yazid Ahmad Bawa, Anyanwu Bright, Adekunbi Mojibola, Munkaila Huzaifa and Idowu Oluseyi Olarenwaju.
Others are representatives of Ashkash Nigeria limited, representatives of Obasanjo Holdings limited(managers of NNPC Mega Station) and representatives of Gateway Bank limited.
The Ogun State High Court had on Monday granted the application of the Commission for the case to be heard at the Federal High Court in Lagos by the vacation judge.
EFCC had earlier released the Speaker on bail. He, however, returned to the Lagos office of the Commission on Monday with other officials of the State House of Assembly, especially the Clerk and accountant for further questioning.
The first defendant’s counsel, Ogunwunmiju SAN, informed the court that he had filed a bail application but was yet to be before the court.
While moving their applications for bail for the defendants, the first defendant’s counsel Igunwumiju (SAN), urged the court to grant the first defendant bail in liberal terms, adding that Oluomo voluntarily returned to the EFCC office in Lagos on Monday, after he was granted administrative bail last Friday.
