N2.5bn fraud: EFCC arraigns impeached Ogun speaker Oluomo, two others

Micheal Azeez

The impeached Speaker of the Ogun House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, alongside two other principal career officers of the assembly, Dayo Samuel and Adeyemo Adedeji, were on Monday arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the capital of the state.

Oluomo and the duo were dragged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged misappropriation of public funds running into N2.5 billion.

Oluomo allegedly committed this financial fraud while he was the Speaker of the Assembly in 2022.

The former Speaker was last week removed by 18 out of 26 lawmakers over allegations bordering on financial misappropriation, highhandedness, gross misconduct, arrogance, poor leadership style, lack of focus and transparency, and pitching members against themselves.

Oluomo has, however, described his removal as illegal, saying that he had already instituted a suit at the state high court to challenge his impeachment.

On Monday, shortly after the trio entered the dock, the court discovered that the counsel for the anti-graft agency could not make it to court.

The presiding judge, Justice Agatha Okeke, however, adjourned the case to February 29 and March 1.

The EFCC had in September 2022 arrested and later arraigned Oluomo for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly, in suit no: FHC/AB/61C/2022.

Oluomo was arraigned alongside the Clerk of the House, Taiwo Adeyemo, and the Director of Finance, Oladayo Samuel.

The antigraft agency had accused the Speaker and others of forging receipts and signatures to divert billions of naira from the legislative house.

They were thereafter granted bail after pleading not guilty, even as they were asked to submit their travel documents at the court registry.

. As Assembly inaugurates c’ttee to investigate him

Meanwhile, the Ogun House of Assembly on Monday inaugurated an eight-man committee to examine the response by former Speaker Olakunle Oluomo (APC-Ifo I) to allegations leveled against him before his impeachment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oluomo was impeached by 18 of the House’s 26 lawmakers during plenary on Tuesday.

The committee was set up at plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mrs Bolanle Ajayi (APC-Yewa South), after she informed the lawmakers of Oluomo’s response.

NAN reports that the lawmakers had listed against him various offences, including gross misconduct bothering on highhandedness, lack of focus and transparency, financial misappropriation, among others.

Meeting for the first time after the impeachment saga, the House led by the Deputy Speaker deliberated on the former Speaker’s response.

Ajayi who presided over plenary during the impeachment advised that Oluomo should step aside pending the outcome of the report of the committee set up to look into the matter.

The House thereafter went ahead to constitute the committee which has Musefiu Lamidi (APC -Ado Odo/Ota II) as Chairman.

The committee also has Oluseun Adesanya as Vice-Chairman, with Babatunde Tella (APC-Abeokuta North), Damilola Soneye (APC-Obafemi Owode) and Lukman Adeleye (PDP-Odogbolu) as other members.

Other members of the committee are Fola Salami (APC-Ifo II) and Olusegun Odunuga (APC-Ijebu North II).

The House’s Director of Legislative Services, Mr. Temitope Hokon, will serve as Secretary.