Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan Zonal Office Wednesday arraigned before an Oyo State High Court, three civil servants from Osun State over fraudulent acts of N83.5m being a cooperative loan obtained from a commercial bank.
The defendants, who appeared before Justice Ladiran Akintola of Ring Road High Court, Ibadan are: Adegoke Johnson Adebayo, Ayodele Elijah Olubunmi Sunday, and Adelowo Waheed Adewole.
According to the prosecution, the suspects, who are staff of the Osun State Environmental Protection Commission, and who are President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Commission’s Staff Cooperative Society, respectively, allegedly diverted the loan obtained on behalf of other members to their personal use.
The EFCC preferred a 10-count charge, bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office, stealing, forgery, altering, and obtaining money under false pretence against the trio.
One of the counts in the charge read: “That you, Adegoke Johnson Adebayo (President), Ayodele Elijah Olubunmi Sunday (Secretary) and Adelowo Waheed Adewole (Treasurer) and Gbenga Joseph Zacheus (at large) sometime in the year 2014, at Yemetu, Ibadan, within the Ibadan Judicial Division of this honourable court, obtained the sum of N83,500,000.00, from First Bank of Nigeria Limited by falsely pretending that it is a loan, strictly for members and staff of the Osun State Environmental Protection Commission (Osogbo) Staff Co-operative Investment and Credit Society Limited, which representations you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence”.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge, upon which the prosecution counsel, Dr. Ben Ubi, applied for a trial date and an order for the defendants to be remanded in a Correctional Facility, while defence counsel, A. T. Adeleye, informed the court of a joint bail application of her clients which she said, has been served on the prosecution.
The judge adjourned the case till October 14, 2020 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Service.
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