Connect with us

Metro News

Ex-Elizade varsity VC Oloyede bags five years over $1.2m fraud

Published

on

 

A former Vice Chancellor of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, Prof. Adekunle Oloyede, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for $1.2 million fraud, by an Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, the state capital.

Justice Aderemi Adegoroye jailed the professor after finding him guilty on all six counts of false pretences, stealing and fraud contrary to the anti-graft laws of the state.

The accused, Oloyede, was said to have fraudulently obtained the sum of $720,000 for the construction of a 500-bed space at the school, while he also obtained the sum of $250,000, $150,000, and $620,000 at different times.

The money was collected from Mike Ade Investment limited for Duro Global Property under the false pretence of using the amount for the construction of a hostel for the institution.

The Professor of Medical Engineering was dragged before the Court by the State Legal Officer, represented by Mr O.E Akintan, who told the court of the professor to stand accused of conspiracies to steal and to obtain by false pretence contrary which are punishable under section 516 of the criminal code.

READ  Dispatched to hell: Air Force kills notorious terrorist kingpin Shanono, others in air raid

In the evidence before the court, several amounts running into millions in foreign currency was paid into the account linked to Oloyede and his cronies for the importation of panel for the construction of a hostel for students of the university.

The court heard that despite the payment for the panel and for the shipment of the materials from Australia to Ilara-Mokin in Ondo State, the former Vice Chancellor failed to execute the projects, leading to his arrest and prosecution for alleged fraud by the state government.

But Oloyede, while denying the allegation of fraud against him, said he made a presentation of his ideas and innovation of making the school world-class to Chief Ade Ojo, saying the founder was impressed.

He said one of his ideas was to have a revenue-generating portfolio and it was the idea that brought in the suggestion of the school having a factory to manufacture panels for building affordable houses.

READ  NYSC deploys 200,000 corps members for election duties, warns against food, gift

The Counsel to Oloyede, Chief Kunle Ijalana, said the matter before the court was contractual and not criminal in nature contrary to the charges brought against the accused and, therefore, asked the court to dismiss the charges.

According to the story, the embattled VC had some time in 2015 visited the institution ahead of his September appointment date as the second substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university.

During the visit, Oloyede had seen a new 512-bed male hostel project whose contract had just been awarded for $1.8m.

Even though a contractor had been mobilised to the site, the institution said Oloyede advised and persuaded the university’s founder, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, to discontinue the project and adopt a new technology called PIR Panel Building Technology.

According to him, that would make the completion of the building to be faster and ready by August 2015, while also saving 40 per cent of the original contract sum.

Fascinated by the new technology, Ade-Ojo had agreed to adopt it, believing that the hostel would be ready by August 2015, ahead of the students’ resumption that year.

READ  Abba kyari, others transferred to prison

Based on the incoming VC’s recommendation, Ade-Ojo, between March and July 2015, transferred a total sum of $1.2m to an Australia-based firm that was introduced by Oloyede — Duro Global PTY Ltd.

However, Justice Adegoroye said the prosecution has proved the charge against the accused beyond reasonable doubt and consequently found him guilty as charged, sentencing the accused to five years with an option of a fine of N350.000.00.

The Court also sentenced Oloyede to another three years with an option of a fine of N250.000.00 and said the prison terms shall run cumulatively.

Justice Adegoroye ordered that in facilitating restorative justice as provided under Section 290(6) ACJL of the state 2015, the defendant should refund the sum of $131,500 being the balance obtained from Chief Ade Ojo and the money should be paid within six months of failure which the defendant shall serve additional one year in prison.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Metro News

NCos moves Bobrisky from Ikoyi to Kirkiri prison

Published

on

By

 

Embattled cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, who was sentenced to a six-month jail term for abusing the Naira, has been transferred from the Ikoyi Correctional Center to the Kirikiri Prison by the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).

 

This is contrary to reports that Bobrisky is still being held at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

 

According to reports, the popular cross-dresser is presently held at the Kirikiri Prison and was discreetly transferred since last weekend to Kirikiri.

 

, “It is procedural that he is moved to Kirikiri since it is an expansive prison compared to what we have here,” s dourve said.

The added that due to security reasons, Okuneye was quietly moved to the facility where he will serve his term.

 

It would be recalled that Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced the cross-dresser to six months imprisonment.

While sentencing the convict on Friday, April 12, 2024, the judge said the verdict would serve as deterrent to others who are fond of abusing and mutilating the naira.

READ  Security officers arrest armed ‘Oodua nation agitators’ for invading Oyo secretariat

 

Bobrisky is being identified as a male based on his admission at the court last week and according to reports that there is no realignment of gender or genital organs.

Continue Reading

Metro News

Cubana chief priest pleads not guilty, granted ₦10m bail

Published

on

By

 

Popular Instagram celebrity Pascal Okechukwu also known as Cubana Chief Priest has pleaded not guilty for alleged naira abuse.

 

He pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

 

The socialite was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Lagos before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on Wednesday.

 

The anti-graft commission filed a three-count charge against Cubana Chief Priest accused of abusing the naira at a social event, an act said to be contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.

 

After he pleaded not guilty, the court granted him bail in the sum of ₦10m with two responsible sureties in like sum who must be gainfully employed with the federal or state government and not less than grade level 16.

 

The sureties are to have landed property and the document must be verified by the court.

READ  Dispatched to hell: Air Force kills notorious terrorist kingpin Shanono, others in air raid

 

Cubana Chief Priest is also to submit his travel passport to the custody of the court.

 

The bail conditions must be perfected within seven days but in the meantime he was released to his lawyer who must give an undertaken to produce him later. Failure to do so, he will be remanded in correctional facility.

 

A copy of the charge showed it was filed on April 4th by EFFC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) alongside seven other lawyers representing the chairman of the Commission.

 

In Count 1, it was alleged, “that you, Okechukwu Pascal on 13th Feb. 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.

READ  Police intercept 900 ammunition in Abuja, arrest bus driver, conductor, others

 

In count 2, it was alleged, “that you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.

 

In Count 3, it was alleged, “that you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007”.

 

Meanwhile, the defendant also informed the court of his pending application to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the charge.

 

Justice Ogundare has adjourned till May 2nd to hear the application.

READ  Teni, music producer Shizzi fight dirty over production of hit song, ‘Case’

 

This is coming days after the EFCC arraigned controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye better known as Bobrisky on similar charges for which he was sentenced to a six-month jail term.

 

 

Continue Reading

Metro News

Police parade 21 ‘Oodua nation agitators’ arrested over invasion of Oyo secretariat

Published

on

By

 

The Oyo state police command on Monday paraded 21 suspects arrested over the invasion of the state secretariat in Ibadan, the s capital.

 

On Saturday, security operatives arrested 16 “gunmen” suspected to be members of a group identified as Oodua nation agitators for invading the state secretariat.

 

The gunmen, who were said to be dressed in military camouflage, were subdued by security personnel.

 

The security personnel were able to arrest some of the gunmen while others took to their heels and were pursued into the nearby bushes.

 

Sources said the gunmen were heading to the Oyo state house of assembly premises located within the secretariat when they were repelled.

They were also said to have removed the Nigerian national flag in the secretariat and replaced it with the “Oodua nation flag”, before the intervention of the security personnel.

 

In a statement on Monday, the Oyo state police command said 21 “Yoruba Nation Agitators“ have been paraded in Ibadan.

READ  BREAKING: Court grants Tinubu access to inspect election materials

 

They were paraded alongside seized exhibits such as guns, ammunition, cutlasses, walkie-talkies, and other communication gadgets.

 

Adebola Hamzat, Oyo state commissioner of police, told journalists that the suspects would be charged with treasonable felony and terrorism.

 

He added that investigations are ongoing to unmask their sponsors, and other suspects still at large.

 

Continue Reading

Trending News