Federal High Court begins trial as Police narrates how fraudsters obtain N38m from Owoeye

By David Abiola

The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun state capital on Monday 17th June, begin the trial of the suspects who defrauded the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Timothy Owoeye to the tune of N38m.

The court proceedings had the Investigating Police Officer, Adetunji Adejare as a witness, who told the Court how Hon. Owoeye, was defrauded of N38million.

Adejare also narrated how the accused were tracked and arrested and how the investigation took him to Imesi-Ile in Ekiti State, Lagos and Abuja.

He told the court how the investigative team were led to the shrine of one of the defendants at Arubiidi, Ile-Ife.

In his witness, Adejare who claimed to be a Sergeant from State Intelligent Bureau, Osun state command, told the court that the defendants explained the sharing formula of the received funds in their confessional statements.

“The complainant submitted a petition bordering on advanced fee fraud, conspiracy and threat to life to the Osun police command on July 10, 2018. We commenced investigation with tracking of the phone number of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th defendants.

“We went to Oke-Imesi in Ekiti where the 1st defendant was arrested. He later led us to Ado-Ekiti where the 2nd respondent was arrested. We proceeded to Lagos state for the arrest of 3rd respondent who had traveled to Abuja. The IGP Intelligent Response Team, Abuja, eventually tracked and arrested him.

“The 1st defendant claimed to have bought a Toyota Highlander Jeep and the 2nd respondent confessed to have used his own share to purchase the same type of Jeep but claimed it has not been delivered to him.” Adejare said.

The witness further told the court that one Bamidele Tosin, who was said to be a dealer, was arrested through the help of the Director of AMK motors in Ibadan.

“The dealer confessed that the 4th defendant, Babatunde Oluajo, paid him in US Dollars for the two jeeps of the 1st and 2nd defendants”.

The witness explained how the investigative team recovered US dollars, unregistered Toyota Highlander Jeep, single barrel gun, cartridges, and other items, in the residence of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants.

He explained that the 6th defendant was arrested for his role in threatening the life of the complainant and sending of his nude video to one police Sergeant Arawole Jimoh, who volunteered a statement that led to the arrest of the 7th and 8th defendants that have been using the video to extort money from friends and associates of the complainant.

The confessional statements from the 1st to the 8th defendants provided by the prosecuting counsel were objected to by the defense counsels Kazeem Badmus, J. P. Jones, O. U. Yusuf and Chief A. Olodo, stating that the statements were signed by their clients under duress due to cohesion and torture.

The court however adjourned the case to the 1st of July, 2019 for hearing of trial within trial in respect of extra judicial statements made in the cause of police investigation by the defendants.

The prosecuting counsel, Moses Faremi while addressing the press said “It is our duty as Government prosecuting counsel to sanitize the society and ensure that justice is done to all manner of people no matter the calibre”.

“God willing by the time we finish this case the whole world will know the truth and the facts that are behind this case, he said”.

It could be recalled that Owoeye’s misery began about a year ago when he became victim of an alleged blacakmail gang that had seen him part with huge amount of money in bid to save his career and family image.

According to sources reported earlier, Owoeye was said to have been rounded up while performing ritual activities towards his political ambition in the state last year September.

The accused persons had circulated nude video of the speaker caught pleading for mercy from some unidentified persons at the dead of the night at an environment that appeared isolated and bushy.