EFCC ‘Fails’ To Comply With Court Order, As Commission Keeps Estate Agent In Its Custody

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

It would be recalled that the court, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada, had on February 12, 2024, granted bail in the sum of N5 million to Chief Adebayo with two sureties in the like sum and that the sureties must be residents in Lagos and gainfully employed.

But Justice Dada directed that the defendant must complete the bail conditions within seven days and that failure to comply with this order, the commission should remand the defendant to an appropriate correctional facility.

Chief Adebayo was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on January 24, 2024, for defrauding his son-in-law and his daughter of a sum to the tune of N19 million.

Specifically, the estate agent was docked on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretext.

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

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

Thereafter, Ogundele prayed to the court to grant a short adjournment to enable him to move the application.

According to him, the defendant had health issues and was 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 had hinted to the judge that the defendant allegedly committed the offence in 2015 and 2019, respectively, in Lagos.

Isah said that the defendant, with an intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4.5 million from one 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 N5.5 million 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 N9 million 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 offence contravenes Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

Justice Dada adjourned the case until April 15, 2024, for the opening of the prosecution’s case.

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