Ondo State Speaker, lawmakers arraigned by EFCC over alleged fraud

Mr. Bamidele Oloyelogun, the Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, was arraigned in court on Tuesday,25th of April,2023, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of fraudulent activities.

He was arraigned alongside Mr. Felemu Bankole, who represents Akoko South-West Constituency 2, and a staff of the Assembly, Mr. Segun Bankole.

Despite their claim that EFCC lacked the power to prosecute them, the court ruled that the anti-graft agency had the power to investigate and prosecute the defendants.

The charges against them were related to fraud, but they pleaded not guilty during the arraignment.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, the EFCC’s legal representative, Kingsley Kudus, requested that the defendants be remanded in prison custody, arguing that despite their plea of not guilty, they remained in the custody of the court during the ongoing trial.

Femi Emodamori, the defense counsel, requested the court to dismiss the EFCC’s plea for remand and stated that the administrative bail application for the defendants was still valid.

Furthermore, he appealed to the court to consider the health challenges of the second defendant, who is the Speaker, and provide urgent medical attention.

In addition, Emodamori urged the court to caution Iroju Ogundeji, the nominal complainant in the case, for reportedly sending messages to the Speaker to annoy him. He warned that if Ogundeji continued such behavior, he would take legal action against him, as it went against the law and was not acceptable.

Justice Adegboyega Adebusoye, in his ruling, granted the defendants’ request to continue their administrative bail until the next hearing and scheduled the trial to resume on May 18, 2023, for a proper hearing.