Lagos Speaker’s aide remanded in prison

A Nigerian Court on Friday remanded Atoyebi Olabode, the Personal Assistant to Adeyemi Ikuforiji, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, at the Ikoyi Prisons over alleged N672 million fraud.

Justice Deborah Oluwayemi of the Lagos High Court in Igbosere, remanded Olabode and Olayinka Sanni, a former manager of Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) in prison custody.

This followed the application of Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, the counsel of the anti-graft agency, EFCC for their continued detention.

Oluwayemi said the defendants would be in custody till the next adjourned date fixed for Feb. 7.

The EFCC is prosecuting the duo on an eight-count charge of conspiracy, intent to defraud, forgery and stealing.

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

The Defence Counsel, Mr Tijani Abdulslam, who opposed the remand application by the EFCC, urged the court to grant the defendants bail.

The commission said that the defendants had committed the offences between Dec. 22, 2010 and July 27, 2011.

The anti-graft agency deposed that Atoyebi, Sanni, and a company SIDAW Ventures stole N672, 414,631, property of Murhi International Ltd.

The commission also alleged that the first defendant, Sanni, with intent to defraud, knowingly forged a document titled “Intercontinental Bank Confirmation No. 00712386”.

It alleged that the defendant held the document as one purportedly issued by the bank to Murhi International.

The commission also alleged that Sanni forged another Intercontinental Bank confirmation document No. 00712385, D/00354856 and 0/00200800 also purported to have been issued by the bank to Murhi.

Also, the commission said that the defendant uttered a false Intercontinental Bank confirmation document 0/00200800 to Alhaji MG Busari, CEO of Murhi Group.

The EFCC said that the offence contravened Sections 390, 467, 468 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.