The Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun community were yet to come to the term on the remanding of few of its senior officials in Federal Maximum Prison Ilesa since a month ago over an alleged diversion of N.3billion public funds approved for the construction of Amphitheatre (Lecture Theatre) and other valuable projects in the
institution
It was like child play when the Osun state-based Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun state (CSCEOS), in a petition dated Monday 21 March, 2016 and signed by its Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman of which was forwarded to the acting Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu in Abuja, calling for thorough and unbiased investigation with possible prosecution into the alleged diversion of public funds by the College officials.
Those fingers in the fraud were; the younger brother to Chief Bisi Akande, former interim National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a close ally of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC National Leader, Mr. Oyeniyi Akande who is currently the Part-time Chairman of the Governing Council of the Osun State college of Education, Ila –Orangun,Osun West APC Chairman, Mr. Yunusa Amobi, newly appointed Caretaker Chairman, Atakumosa East Local Government, Iperindo, Mr. Kujenbola Oluwafemi, former College Bursar, now Bursar, College of Education, Ilesa, Mr. Akin Latilo, College former Acting Provost, Dr. Basiru Gbadamosi, former members of the
Governing Council, Mr. David Olayinka Olojede as well as the College’s Director of Works, Mr. Ogungbemi and a contractor, John Ojemuyiwa of Digitpro Engineering Technology Ltd.
They were allegedly accused of diverting the sum of N.3billion which part of it were TETFUND Project funds approved for the construction of a lecture hall and other valuable projects in the institution.
Earlier, the college Provost, Professor Isaac Oyewole had led the accused College officials to the Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ibadan, where the accused officials and contractor were made to write a statement on what they knew about the illegal diversion of the public funds and according to
source closed to EFCC, the accused persons, made the confessional statement of truly diverting the funds in question into private pocket and as well revealing how they shared the funds among themselves.
Also, in 2016, the CSCEOS led by its Chairman, Comrade Alimi Sulaiman were invited to appear before the anti-graft agency so as to come forward to substantiate the allegations contained in the Petition Letter against the college officials by endorsing the petition in order for the Commission to avoid being mislead or treating frivolous
Petition against innocent citizens of the College.
It was further learnt that Mr. Akande, the Governing Council Chairman, along with the Provost and Registrar and senior officials of the College had held several meetings in discussing the issue of the EFCC saga where they concluded plan to shift every blames on the alleged diversion of funds on the former Acting Provost, Dr. Gbadamosi and the then Bursar, Mr. Latilo respectively.
But Gbadamosi on hearing the outcome of their meeting, during the integration at Ibadan office of the EFCC, he promised the Commission’s officials to help them unravel the whole saga by revealing the truth in the alleged impropriety and subsequently returned the sum of N10million part of the project funds in his pocket, while other
accused persons including, Akande were blaming him for opening up on the alleged fraud.
It was on record that “out of the sum of One hundred and seven Million naira (N107m) first payment released to the Sky Bank, Ring Road Ibadan branch Account Number: 1771403093 of the Digitpro Engineering Technology Ltd, Ibadan, being the part of mobilization fees for the construction of a Lecture Theatre (Amphittheatre), sum of
N41,093,694.36 on March 4th, 2014, were diverted to the Fidelity Bank Plc Account Number:5600078243 with Cheque Number:00000005 of De Capstone Ltd where Mr. Akande had vested interest.
According to the reliable source, the EFCC had earlier dragged Ojemuyiwa, the Managing Director of Digitpro Engineering Technology Ltd before the State High Court, sitting in Ede over alleged theft of about N97 million meant for the construction of an amphitheatre at the College on the count charge of stealing and giving of gratification to public officers.
He however pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge and the charge read thus: “That you, John Ojekorede Ojemuyiwa, and Digitpro Technology Ltd sometimes in February, 2014 at Ila-Orangun within the Osogbo Judicial Division, stole the sum of N53,837,574.08 only from the sum of N112,810,952.20 advanced to you as mobilization fee for the construction of an amphitheatre by Osun State College of Education, Ila Orangun, Osun State.”
The second count reads: “That you, John Ojekorede Ojemuyiwa, and Digitpro Technology Ltd sometime in February, 2014 at Ila-Orangun within the Osogbo Judicial Division corruptly gave the sum of N43,093,694.36 to members of the Governing Council, Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, through one David Olayinka Olojede
of De Capstone Ltd on account of the award of a contract worth N228,298,302.00 and the over payment of mobilization fee to you by the Governing Council and the Management of Osun State College of Education.”
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, asked the court for a trial date while the defence counsel, Banjo Akinwande, made an oral application for bail. The prosecuting counsel opposed the oral application.
The judge, A.O. Oladimeji, ordered the defence counsel to present a formal application to help the court exercise its discretion on the bail application, in view of the antecedent of the accused person failing to honour the EFCC’s official invitation twice.
Similarly, the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday May 17th,2017, arraigned six College officials including two ruling APC chieftains on eight (8) count charge of stealing and criminal conspiracy before Justice M. A. Onyetenu of the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo,
The alleged offence is contrary to section 1(1)(a) &8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act and section 98,99 and 516 of the Criminal Code Act Cap,Laws of the Federation.
While the accused persons were not represented by any counsel in the Court, they, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Onyetenu, while fixing May, 31 for considering the bail for the accused persons, ordered the accused persons to be remanded in Federal Maximum Prison,Ilesa till the next date of adjournment. But, the Court could not attend to their matter on the said date and later adjourned the case till Thursday 8th of June, 2017.
Speaking on the prosecution of the offenders, Sulaiman maintained that “As third eye of the people, it is our responsibility and right to expose every yoke of corruption in our society as stipulated in the Sections 15 sub-section (5) and 24 sub-sections (1e) of the amended 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
The rights activist stated that the foundation of the project had not been completed two years of awarding the contract and officials of the State Ministry of works valued the work done in the site then, was just N13million, saying that N107 million which was released out of N125million by the TETFUND as a special intervention project funds to the College for building of a lecture theatre remained unaccounted for till the time of EFCC arrested the culprits.
While appreciating the efforts of the anti-graft body to free our society from shackle of corrupt practices and assurance that the EFCC would do justice to the group’s petition without fear or favour, Sulaiman advised the Osun State government under the watch of Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to purge Mr. Akande and his co-travelers that were
currently facing the trial over an alleged N.3billion fraud out of the institution before they destroyed the citadel of learning, adding that “Law is no respecter of anybody”.
Speaking further on the issue of Mr. Akande who has been on the run, Sulaiman disclosed that Mr. Akande has been hiding in the State Government House, Oke-fia, Osogbo, calling on the anti-graft agency to officially wrote the State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola to produce Mr. Akande as an appointee of the governor, so as to face the prosecution
of the crime being conspired to commit in the College, urging the Court to apply section 351 of the Criminal Procedure Act(CPA), to issue a bench warrant to compel the leader of the accused persons,Mr. Akande to be produced in court in order to take his own plea.
