EFCC Arraigns Bamidele Oloyelogun, Ondo Speaker, Others For Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed charges against Bamidele Oloyelogun, speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly.
Oloyelogun was arraigned before the state’s High Court in Akure on Tuesday for alleged fraud.
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Oloyelogun was indicted alongside the lawmaker for Akoko South-West Constituency 2, Mr. Felemu Bankole, and an Assembly staffer, Mr. Segun Bankole.
The court ruled that the anti-graft commission had the authority to investigate and prosecute the defendants for the alleged fraud at the last hearing of the case.
The defendants had filed a preliminary objection to prevent them from being tried, claiming that the EFCC lacked the authority to prosecute them because the assets they were facing trial for belonged to the state.
The defendants were charged with two counts of fraud before the court. They pled not guilty to the allegations brought against them, however.
On Tuesday during the trial, the EFCC’s attorney, Kingsley Kudus, asked the court to remand the defendants in prison custody, stating that the defendants were still in the court’s custody despite their not-guilty pleas.
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Attorney for the defendants, Femi Emodamori, urged the court to dismiss the EFCC’s request for remand. However, he noted that the administrative bail application for the defendants was still pending.
Additionally, he argued that the second defendant (the Speaker) had health issues and required immediate medical attention.
Emodamori also sought the court to caution the nominal complainant (the former Deputy Speaker, Iroju Ogundeji) in the case for allegedly sending messages to the Speaker in an attempt to annoy him, threatening legal action if Ogundeji did not cease such behaviour. He stated that Ogundeji’s conduct towards his client was illegal.
In his ruling, Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye instructed the defendants to remain free on administrative bail until the next hearing, and he adjourned the trial to May 18, 2023 for a formal hearing.
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