The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Hosea Agboola

  • EFCC re-arraigns Alao-Akala, two others over alleged N11.5bn fraud

    EFCC re-arraigns Alao-Akala, two others over alleged N11.5bn fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes  Commission ( EFCC ) on Monday re-arraigned  a former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala,  and two others in  an Oyo State High Court sitting in  Ibadan over alleged N11.5 billion fraud.

    The other defendants are a former Oyo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Sen. Hosea Agboola,  and an Ibadan-based businessman, Femi Babalola.

    The defendants are facing an 11-count charge of conspiracy, awarding contract without budgetary provision, obtaining by false pretence, acquiring property with money derived from illegal act and concealing the ownership of such property, among others.

    EFCC’s counsel, Dr B. Ubi,  told the court that when Alao-Akala was the governor of Oyo State,  he  awarded a  road contract worth N8.5 billion between 2007 and 2009 to Pentagon Engineering Services.

    Ubi  alleged  that the firm  owned by Babalola handled the contract on behalf of the 33 local governments without budgetary provision.

    The counsel further claimed that Alao-Akala  ordered the supply of drilling machines on behalf of the 33 local governments in the state to the tune of N3.5 billion.

    He also alleged that Alao-Akala  conspired with Ayoola to withdraw N2.9 billion from Oyo State Local Government Joint Account.

    The prosecutor told the court that Alao-Akala also illegally acquired some property on  Old Bodija road, off Rotimi Williams road,  when he was the governor of the state.

    He said that the offences contravened Section 22 (4) of the Corrupt Practices  and  Other Related Offences Act and Section 1 (18) of the Advanced Fee Fraud Act.

    The defendants, however,  pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Mr Hakeem Afolabi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to Alao-Akala and Babaloa prayed the court to exercise its discretion in granting bail to the defendants.

    Afolabi said that the charge  before the court was not a fresh one but a re-arraignment.

    He said the matter was first  filed on Oct. 11, 2011,  before Justice Moshood Abas and bail was granted after  the defendants met the conditions.

    We recall that the defendants had also appeared before Justice Akintunde Boade  and  Justice Bayo Taiwo who was recently transferred out of Ibadan Division.

    Afolabi said  that Alao-Akala was granted bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in  like sum while the other defendants were granted bail in the sum of N3 million each with two sureties in like sum.

    Afolabi urged the court to allow the defendants to enjoy the earlier bail condition granted to the defendants.

    Mr Richard Ogunwole,  another Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to Ayoola, aligned with the submission of Alao-Akala’s counsel.

    The EFCC  counsel said he would not oppose the bail applications.

    Justice Muniru Owolabi granted the defendants’ prayers and adjourned the case till  April 16 for trial.

    NAN

  • ‘Name leaders who endorsed Folarin’

    ‘Name leaders who endorsed Folarin’

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, has told the lawmaker representing Oyo North, Senator Hosea Agboola, to mention the names of the leaders who endorsed Senator Teslim Folarin as the governorship candidate in next year’s general elections.

    He was reacting to an interview granted by Senator Agboola in a national newspaper at the weekend, where he said the leaders of the party in the state had agreed on nominating Senator Folarin as the Oyo State governorship candidate of the party on the basis that he is from Ibadan.

    Olopoenia, who spoke to reporters at his home in Basorun, Ibadan, decried the statement, saying it could cause disunity among the governorship aspirants.

    Said he: “I want him to come out publicly and mention the names of the leaders who endorsed Senator Folarin as the Oyo State governorship candidate without a primary election.

    “If Agboola loves Oke-Ogun people, I know he will not object to the governorship ambition of his former boss. Is Folarin the only aspirant from Ibadan? And is Ibadan the only place that makes up Oyo State?”

  • Alao-Akala loses bid to quash ‘criminal’ charges

    Alao-Akala loses bid to quash ‘criminal’ charges

    The Court of Appeal in Ibadan on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor of Oyo State, to quash the N11.5 billion suit filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    Alao-Akala, Sen. Hosea Agboola, and a business man, Olufemi Babalola, had appealed a December 12, 2012 ruling by Justice Akintunde Boade of the Oyo State High Court which held that they had a case to answer.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the EFCC had arraigned the appellants before the Court on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, contract awards without budgetary provisions, and obtaining money by false pretence.

    They accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, held that the preliminary objection by Alao-Akala was premature.

    Dongban-Mensem held that the former governor should have waited for the trial to go mid-way at the High Court before appealing.

    She held that Alao-Akala did not provide enough evidence to warrant the court to quash the ruling of the lower court.

    The former governor was ordered to return to the High Court for his trial.

     

  • Alao-Akala’s trial stalled again

    Alao-Akala’s trial stalled again

    The trial of the former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, was on Wednesday stalled again following the failure of the court to re-assign the case to another judge.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned Alao-Akala, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hosea Agboola and a businessman, Femi Babalola, over alleged misappropriation of N11.5 billion.

    At the last sitting of the court on February 11, Justice Akintunde Boade had adjourned further hearing in the case till Wednesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Boade had informed counsel in the case that he would be retiring on February 21.

    He told counsel that there was need to re-assign the case to another judge.

    Speaking with NAN, counsel to the defendants, Mr. Mamman Osman (SAN), said he expected the state’s Chief Judge to have re-assigned the case.

    “At the last seating on February 11, we informed the court that we had filed an appeal against the ruling of the trial court, but the judge has now retired.

    “The Chief Judge is supposed to have re-assigned the matter to another judge, but this has not been done.

    “The case was fixed for mention today and we came to court. As you can see, the accused persons are all here.

    “We are also here as counsel, but we don’t know where to go to.

    “We went to the Chief Registrar and informed her about our predicament, but she said that since we had filed an appeal, the court will await the outcome of the appeal.

    “I declined and said that was not enough,’’ he said.

    Osman said he told the chief registrar that the defence was going to write an official letter expressing its predicament.

    “ This is to enable the accused persons, who are already on bail, to enjoy their bail without being harassed,” he said.

    All efforts to get the reaction of the Chief Registrar were, however, not successful.