Former Oyo State Head of Service (HOS), Mrs kudirat Adeleke and 11 government officials were on Thursday remanded at Agodi prison, Ibadan over N5.6 billion pension scam. After almost 10 hours of legal fireworks among the legal parties, the trial judge, Justice Bolaji Yusuf ordered that the accused be kept at prison custody.
She said considering the long distance of Lagos and the road challenges, the prison custody would be suitable for them. He therefore adjourned hearing on the bail applications for the accused persons till November 14.They were charged on a 213-count charge of conspiracy to collect money under false Pretence, collect money under false pretence, stealing, conspiracy to forge and forgery.
According to the prosecution, G.K. Latona for the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the offences were punishable contrary to sections 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No 4 of 2006, section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, section 467 (2) (I) of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000 and section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000.
The accused in a charge sheet number: I/6EFCC/2013 were said to have raised cheques and collected money to the tune of N5.6 billion between September, November 2010 and March 2011.The prosecution disclosed that the accused had forged local government receipts for the purpose of defrauding the state local government staff pension board. The accused included former Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs Kudirat Iyabo Adeleke, Muili Hakeem Aderemi, former Executive Secretary, Oyo State Pension Board; Adedutan Johnson; Oguntayo Banji, former Internal Auditor, Oyo State Pension Board; and Kareem Rasheed.
Others are Muili Adedamola; Adesina Jimoh Ayoade, former cashier, Oyo State Pension Board; Adebiyi Olasumbo Musendia, former Admin Officer, Oyo State Pension Board;Johnson Bosede; Iyabo Giwa, former Cashier, Oyo State Pension Board, Adewale Kehinde and Olujinmi Adebayo.
The suspects were alleged to have stolen the sum of N5.6 billion meant for the payment of pensions and gratuities to various categories of retired teachers in the state. After reading the charges for six hours, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty.Counsels to the accused persons Olayinka Bolanle, Adebayo Adegbite, Olutayo Oyewole, J.K. Latani, Bolaji Agoro had made case for oral applcation for bail was rejected by the court.
The prosecution, who told the court that only seven applications had been received, called for the harmonization of the applications. He also told the court that there was no more space to accommodate the accused at the EFCC office, and therefore suggested that they be remanded in prison custody. The defence counsels had argued that they be in EFCC custody since they had earlier been granted bail by an Ibadan Magistrate's court and administrative bail by the commission.
Justice Yusuf had insisted that written bail application would have been the best in the interest of everybody.
N5.6bn pension scam: Retired primary school teachers protest in Court
Meanwhile, Members of the Oyo State branch of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) on Thursday stormed the state High Court protesting against the stolen of N5.6 billion pension scam.
The pensioners who were retired primary school teachers, had in their hundreds arrived at the court premises around 7:30 am, carrying placards with various inscriptions condemning the action of those who allegedly stole the money.
Some of the placards read: "we teach them, they are defrauding us", is it a crime to retire as a primary school teacher" and "Governor Abiola Ajimobi thanks for not covering up the influential pension looters."The pensioners who claimed that they were protesting in solidarity with their colleagues whose pensions were 'stolen' by the state government officials, lamented that most of them had died without collecting their entitlements. Singing solidarity songs, they called for stiff actions against the pension fund thieves.
They rained abusive words and cursed the officials as they were being taken to court room led by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).The accused included former Oyo State Head of Service, Mrs Kudirat Iyabo Adeleke, Muili Hakeem Aderemi, former Executive Secretary, Oyo State Pension Board; Adedutan Johnson; Oguntayo Banji, former Internal Auditor, Oyo State Pension Board; and Kareem Rasheed.
Others are Muili Adedamola; Adesina Jimoh Ayoade, former cashier, Oyo State Pension Board; Adebiyi Olasumbo Musendia, former Admin Officer, Oyo State Pension Board; Johnson Bosede; Iyabo Giwa, former Cashier, Oyo State Pension Board, Adewale Kehinde and Olujinmi Adebayo.
The suspects were alleged to have stolen the sum of N5.6 billion meant for the payment of pensions and gratuities to various categories of retired teachers in the state.
