EFCC Charges State House Of Assembly Speaker Over Fraud Allegation

The Ondo State House of Assembly speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun was threatened to be sent to prison after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dragged him to the state High Court sitting at the Olokuta Correctional Centre, Akure, the state capital.

Together with several members of the House, Oleyelogun was to be charged in court on charges of seminar fraud of N2.4 million. But the indictment was jammed because of the late hearing notification service about advice to EFCC, Mr. Dibangi Fredrick.

The duties of journalists to access the court to watch the trial process are also reportedly inhibited by prison officials led by Squadron Commander, Mr. Ibrahim Ayooola Ogunja.

In a statement, he claimed to have instructions from the correctional center’s comptroller to the bar journalists to get access to the court.

In addition to threatening to shoot journalists if they did not immediately leave the location of the trial, the squadron commander also pointed to other prison officials to prepare their weapons to shoot.

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EFCC also arrested the Clerk of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Bode Adeyelu including three other staff for an alleged similar fraud. The parliamentarian representing Akoko South West I in the House, Felemu Bankole was also detained by the Clerk of the Assembly.

The Sacked Deputy Speaker, Iroju Ogundeji, has accused that the Speaker and other principal officers collected and distributed the fund of N2.4 million which was intended for a seminar in Lagos which they had never attended in 2019.