Police Arraign 8 Men For Fleecing Osun Assembly Speaker Of N38m
Eight men were on Monday arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo by the police for swindling the Speaker of Osun state House of Assembly, Hon Timothy Owoeye the sum of N38million.
The defendants Kazeem Agbabiaka, AbduRasheed Ojonla, Oyebode Femi, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde, Oyebamiji Oyeniyi, Ismaila Azeez and Awodunmola Kehinde agreed to be tried by the court.
Adejare told the court how the investigative team were led to the shrine of one of the defendants at Arubiidi, Ile-Ife and Olojabala via Osunjela, where the complainant was subjected to alleged inhuman treatment.
In his witness, Adejare who claimed to be a Sergeant from State Intelligent Bureau, Osun state command, told the court that the defendants explained the sharing formula of the money in their confessional statements.
“The complainant submitted a petition bordering on advanced fee fraud, conspiracy and threat to life to the Osun police command on July 10, 2018. We commenced investigation with tracking of the phone number of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th defendants.
“We went to Oke-Imesi Ekiti where the 1st defendant was arrested. He later led us to Ado-Ekiti where the second respondent was arrested. We proceeded to Lagos state for the arrest of third respondent who has travelled to Abuja through flight. The Intelligent Response Team, Abuja, eventually arrested him with tracker.
“The first defendant claimed to have bought a Toyota Highlander Jeep and the second respondent confessed to have used his own share to purchase the same type of Jeep but has not been delivered to him.
The witness further told the court that one Bamidele Tosin, who was said to be a dealer, was arrested through the help of the Director of AMK motors in Ibadan.
“The dealer confessed that the fourth defendant, Babatunde Oluajo, paid him in US Dollar for the two jeeps of the first and second defendants.
The witness explained how the investigative team recovered dollar and naira, unregistered Toyota Highlander Jeep, single barrel gun, cartridges, and other items, in the residence of the first, second, third and fourth defendants.
He explained that the sixth defendant was arrested for his role in threatening of life of the complainant and the sending of his nude video to one police Sergeant Arawole Jimoh, who volunteered a statement that led to the arrest of the seventh and eighth defendants that have been using the video to extort money from friends and associates of the complainant.
However, attempt by the prosecution counsel, Mr Moses Faremi, to tender the statements of the defendants was opposed by their counsels. Messrs Kazeem Badmus, J. P. Jones, O. U. Yusuf and Chief A. Olodo, saying that the statements were signed by their clients under duress.
The court thereby adjourned the matter to July 1, for trial within trial.
