Abdulazeez Abdulwahab
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned a 73-year-old alleged notorious land grabber Murtala Adebayo, (popularly referred to as Oloriebi of Ajaland) before Justice Rahman Oshodi of a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos over alleged Nineteen Million Naira (N19,000,000.00) fraud.
Adebayo was earlier arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on 24 January 2024 on a three-count charge, and he pleaded not guilty. He was subsequently granted bail on 12 February 2024 while trial commenced.
The defendant, who took his plea in the Yoruba language while being rea-arraigned, pleaded “not guilty” to the three-count charge preferred against him.
The prosecuting counsel, Sa’adatu Yabo, prayed the court for a trial date.
But the defendant’s counsel, Bamidele Ogundele, urged the court to allow the defendant to enjoy bail earlier granted him by Justice Dada.
In a swift reaction, the nominal complainant lawyer Martins Oyigbo, who was given the opportunity to address the court in response to the defendant’s appeal to adopt previous bail conditions granted to the defendant by Justice Dada, said there was a letter in respect of the case before Justice Dada that made the court to recuse itself on the matter based on the documents they used to perfect the bail conditions granted to the defendant which have been discovered to be fraudulent. He urged the court not to grant the bail to the defendant.
He further informed the court that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificate used to secure the bail before Justice Dada was fake as the complainant thereafter applied to the Commission and a new certificate was issued to them confirming that the earlier one used was cloned.
Oyingbo also informed the court that N5 million in lien for the bail was also cloned as the said sum was not in the account at the time the account was used to secure the bail for the defendant.
Thereafter, the counsel also challenged the authenticity of the tax clearance certificate used for the bail.
After listening to their submissions, Justice Oshodi granted bail to the defendant on existing bail conditions set by Justice Dada on 12 February 2024.
The defendant was granted bail in the sum of Five Million Naira with one surety in like sum and a lien of Five Million Naira placed on the surety’s personal account.
The court added that surety must enrol in surety registration management.
The court also ruled that the Deputy Registrar must verify all the documents and ensure compliance within fourteen days.
The court adjourned the matter till 7 March 2025 for trial.
One of the counts reads: “Murtala Adebayo, sometime in 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N4,500,000) from one Gafar Abiodun Ademolake by falsely representing to him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo Ajah, Lagos, which representation you knew to be false.”
Another count reads: “Murtala Adebayo, sometime in 2019 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained three cars, two Toyota Camry 2005 model and one Honda Accord 2006 model, all at an agreed value of N9,000,000.00 from one Gafar Abiodun Ademolake by falsely representing to him that the payment was for balance payment of 18 plots of land at Ayogbemi Village, Ibeju, Lekki, Lagos, a representation you knew to be false.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media