Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday remanded the Speaker of the Ogun State House Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo and two other principal officers of the House in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N4.1billion fraud.
Speaker of the Ogun state House of Assembly Olakunle Oluomo
He was arraigned alongside Director of Finance of the State Assembly, Oladayo Samuel, and the clerk of the House, Adeyemo Taiwo. They all pleaded not guilty to the 11-count charge leveled against them by the counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo.
The embattled Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly was remanded pending his fulfilment of a N300 million bond bail with two sureties in the like sum, on the condition that one of whom must not be lower than a level 16 civil servant in the federal civil service.
But, Samuel and Adeyemo, 2nd and 3rd defendants, were admitted to bail in the sum of N100 million each with two sureties each, on the condition that one of whom must not be lower than level 14 in the civil service. All defendants are also required to deposit their travel documents to the court registry.
In his response, EFCC prosecutor, Oyedepo did not oppose the bail application, but left it to the discretion of the court. He, however, urged the court to direct that failure to meet up with their respective bail conditions within a week, the defendants should be transferred to the Ogun State Correctional Centre, Abeokuta.
Their allegations bothered on laundering Ogun State funds totaling more than N2.465 billion. They were alleged to have conspired to launder the funds from the treasury of the Ogun State House of Assembly, sometime in 2019. But, a fourth defendant in the matter, Adeyanju Nimota Amoke is said to be at large.
