Ogun speaker, two others granted bail

Olakunle Oluomo, the speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, and two other individuals were on Tuesday remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission due to alleged money laundering of N2.475 billion.

They were to be held for one week in the custody of the EFCC, according to Justice Daniel Osiagor's order. He also stated that if they didn't comply with the bail requirement, they would be held at the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The Speaker was charged by the EFCC on Tuesday with allegedly laundering N2.475 billion.

Oluomo was charged with 11 charges of conspiracy, forgery, theft, and money laundering by the EFCC, together with Oladayo Samuel, Adeyemo Adedeji Taiwo, and Adeyanju Amoke (who is currently at large).

According to EFCC prosecution attorney Rotimi Oyedepo, the defendants are accused of committing crimes between 2019 and 2022.

He said that Ogun State was the scene of the incident.

Oyedepo said in court that they are accused of stealing N2.475 billion from the Ogun State House of Assembly's fund.

The defendants entered a plea of not guilty after the charge was read to them.

When the case was called for arraignment on Tuesday, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwunmiju, SAN, appeared on behalf of the first defendant. Akinyemi Aremu and Oluwole Aladedoye represented the second and third defendants, respectively.

Rotimi Oyedepo, the head of the EFFC's legal monitoring unit in Lagos, filed the complaint at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on September 1.

The Commission announced that it would present documents and artefacts as well as at least 10 witnesses to testify.

Adamu Usman Yusuf, Otitoju Moses Kolawale, Yazid Ahmad Bawa, Anyanwu Bright, Adekunbi Mojibola, Munkaila Huzaifa, and Idowu Oluseyi Olarenwaju are on the list of witnesses.

Additional representations include those of Ashkash Nigeria Limited, Obasanjo Holdings Limited (managers of the NNPC Mega Station), and Gateway Bank Limited.

The Ogun State High Court had on Monday approved the Commission's request for the case to be heard by the vacation judge at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The Speaker had previously been released on bail by EFCC. He did, however, return to the commission's Lagos headquarters on Monday along with other State House of Assembly employees, including the clerk and accountant, for more interrogation.

Ogunwunmiju SAN, the attorney for the first defendant, informed the court that although a bail application had been made, the defendant had not yet been in court.

Oluomo willingly returned to the EFCC office in Lagos on Monday after being granted administrative bail last Friday, according to the first defendant's attorney Igunwumiju (SAN), who requested the court to grant the first defendant bail in lenient terms.

When deciding on the bail application, Justice Osiagor granted the first defendant bail in the amount of N300 million with two sureties in the same amount, one of whom could not be a federal civil servant below level 16.

The second and third accused were each given bail of N100 million, along with two sureties, each of whom had to be at least level 14 civil servants, as well.

All sureties, according to him, must own land that is subject to the court's jurisdiction, and title documents must be filed with the court's register.

Additionally, the sureties are required to sign an affidavit of means and have three-year tax clearance certificates.

The court registry must also get copies of all defendants' travel documents.

The defendants must complete all of their bail requirements by that time or they would be moved to the Nigerian Correctional facility in Abeokuta, according to the judge's ruling, which stipulated that they be kept at the EFCC custody for a maximum of one week.

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