N.3billion Fraud: EFCC arraigns APC Chair,4 College officials,Contractor in Osun
…….Bisi Akande’s brother on the run
……suspected to be hidden in Govt House
The authority of the anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission(EFCC) on Wednesday May 7th,2017, has arraigned the
Osun West Senatorial District Chairman of the ruling All Progressives
Congress(APC),Mr. Yinusa Amobi and other top officials of the Osun
State College of Education(OSSCE), Ila-Orangun before Justice M. A.
Onyetenu of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo on 8-count charge
bordering on stealing, forgery and criminal conspiracy of breach of
public trust.
The source closed to the college has it that the the leader of the
accused persons in the alleged illegal diversion of over N.3billion
public funds approved for the construction of Amphitheatre (Lecture
Theatre) and other valuable projects in the institution and younger
brother to the former Interim National Chairman of All Progressives
Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande who is currently
the Part-time Chairman of the Governing Council of the College, had
been on the run since last week.
Although,the information has it that Mr. Akande has been hiding in the
State Government House,Oke-fia,Osogbo,while calling on the anti-graft
agency to officially wrote the State Governor,Mr Rauf Aregbesola to
produce Mr. Akande as appointee of the governor,so as to face the
prosecution of the crime being conspired to be committed in the
College.
Those that were arraigned along with Amobi,a member of College
Governing Council and who was still in the midst of controversy
surrounding the death of the First Executive Governor of the
State,Senator Isiaka Adeleke;former Bursar(now Bursar College of
Education, Ilesa), Mr. Akin Latilo,College former Acting Provost, Dr.
Basiru Gbadamosi, the members of the Governing Council, Mr. David
Olayinka Olojede,Mr. Kujeunbola Oluwafemi and the College’s Director
of Works,Mr. Ogungbemi.
The alleged offence contrary to section 1(1)(a) &8(a) of the Advance
Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable
under section 1(3) of the same Act and section 98,99 and 516 of the
Criminal Code Act Cap,Laws of the Federation.
While the accused persons were not represented by any counsel in the
Court but they pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against
them and EFCC was represented by Barrister Chukwu Emeka.
The arraignment was as a result of the Petitioned Letter dated Monday
21st March, 2016 written by the Osun State based Civil Society
Organization (CSO), the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation
of Osun State (CSCEOS) which was forwarded to the Acting Executive
Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magun over the subject matter and it
would be recalled that the group led by its Chairman,Comrade Adeniyi,
Alimi Sulaiman had earlier appeared before the anti-graft agency to
endorse its Petition Letter.
The Presiding Judge,Justice Onyetenu,while fixing 31st of May,2017
for considering the bail for the accused persons, ordered the accused
persons to be remanded in Ilesa maximum prison till the next date of
adjournment.
According to the statement issued by the CSCEOS’s Directorate of Media
and Strategy, which was made available to newsmen on Thursday, Comrade
Sulaiman disclosed that out of the sum of One hundred and seven
Million naira (N107m) first payment released to the Sky Bank, Ring
Road Ibadan branch Account Number:1771403093 of the Digitpro
Engineering Technology Ltd, Ibadan, being the part of mobilization
fees for the construction of a Lecture Theatre (Amphittheatre), sum of
N41,093,694.36 on March 4th, 2014 were diverted to the Fidelity Bank
Plc Account Number:5600078243 with Cheque Number:00000005 of De
Capstone Ltd where Mr. Akande had vested interest.
It urged the Court to apply section 351 of the Criminal Procedure
Act(CPA), to issue a bench warrant to compel the leader of the accused
persons,Mr. Akande to be produced in court in order to take his
plea,appreciating the efforts of the anti-graft body to free our
society from shackle of corrupt practices and assurance that the EFCC
would do justice to the group’s petition without fear or favour.
“As third eye of the people, it is our responsibility and right to
expose every yoke of corruption in our society as stipulated in the
Sections 15 sub-section(5) and 24
sub-sections (1e) of the amended 1999 constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria”,it added.
It therefore advised the Aregbesola’s administration to purge Mr.
Akande and his co-travelers that were currently facing trial over an
alleged N.3billion fraud out of the
institution before they destroyed the citadel of learning, adding that
“Law is no respecter of anybody”.
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