EFCC Defies Court Order On Proper Custody Of ‘Oloriebi Of Ajah’

Abdulazeez Abdulwahab 

IN defiance of the order of a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is still keeping alleged crooked estate agent Chief Muritala Adebayo, (popularly known as Oloriebi of Ajah in its custody). 

Justice Mojisola Dada had on 12th February granted Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00)  bail to Chief Adebayo with two surety in like sum and the two surety must be resident in Lagos State and must be gainfully employed.

The court, however, ordered that the defendant must perfect the bail within seven days and failure to comply with this order, the EFCC should remand the defendant to an appropriate correctional facility.

Meanwhile, contrary to the claim of the defence counsel that Chief Muritala Adebayo was virtually impaired, the defendant was seen by journalists, and other court officials disembarking from the staircase of the court unaided.

The deception of the court to get bail due to the claim of being virtually impaired as posited by his counsel became obvious on the ground floor of the court when the defendant was seen discussing with lawyers and family members for more than 40 minutes before he walked to the anti-graft agency’s vehicle that conveyed him to custody.

The defendant was formally arraigned by the  EFCC on 24th January for defrauding his son-in-law and his daughter of Nineteen Million Naira (N19,000,000.00). 

He was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by pretence before the court.

Immediately after his arraignment, the EFCC counsel, Mr Babangida Isah thereafter urged the court for a trial date given his not guilty plea.

The defence counsel, Mr Bamidele Ogundele, however, informed the court of a bail application dated 24 January but the prosecution informed the court that it needed time to go through the bail summon.

Barrister Ogundele thereafter prayed for a short adjournment to enable him to move the application.

According to him, the defendant has health issues and is virtually impaired.

“We pray for a short adjournment for the bail application to be heard because of his health status my lord.

“He is a 72-year-old man and he is blind.

“We also pray that the defendant is in EFCC custody because of the state of his health so that his doctor can attend to him there,” he said.

Earlier, the prosecution told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offences in 2015 and 2019 in Lagos.

Isah said that the defendant, with an intent to defraud, obtained the sum of Four Million,  Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N4.500,000.00)  from Mr Gafar Ademolake by falsely informing him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo, Ajah in Lagos, a presentation he knew to be false.

The prosecutor submitted that the defendant also collected the sum of Five Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N5.500,000.00) from the complainant as part of the payment for 18 plots of land in Ayogbemi Village in Ibeju-Lekki, which he knew to be false.

He further alleged that the defendant collected two Toyota Camry 2005 model cars and one Honda Accord 2006 model, valued at Nine Million Naira (N9,000,000.00)  from the complainant that the payment was for the balance of the 18 plots of land in Ibeju, a presentation he knew to be false.

According to the prosecutor, the alleged offences contravene Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case till 15th April 2024 for the opening of the prosecution case. 

Eighteen-Eleven Media