The Ogun State Speaker was arrested by officials of the EFCC at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Thursday morning and secretly flown to Abuja.
The Ogun
State House of Assembly Speaker, Olakunle Oluomo, is to be arraigned in Lagos
on Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged
financial crimes, an impeccable source within the anti-graft agency confirmed
to our correspondent Saturday night.
The
source, who pleaded anonymity, noted that the agency was leaving no stone
unturned in its bid to arraign the Chief lawmaker, adding that some political
actors had been making efforts to stall the arraignment.
He said,
“We’re leaving no stone unturned concerning this Oluomo’s matter. He will be
arraigned in court in Lagos State on Monday or later in the week, as we’re
currently preparing charges against him.
“We’re
arraigning him in Lagos because it’s a jurisdictional matter. Some highly
placed personality are doing everything to frustrate his arraignment, but he’s
expected to go explain or defend himself in court on Monday.”
He was,
however, granted administrative bail by the anti-graft agency. Our
correspondent gathered that the Speaker was released around midnight Friday on
the condition that he would return on Monday with both the assembly clerk and
the accountant.
He was said
to have been on the wanted list of the commission following his failure to
honour the EFCC’s invitation several times.
Oluomo and
others (yet to be named) were accused of forging signatures and financial
documents belonging to the state Assembly.
The EFCC
National and South-West spokespersons, Mr Wilson Uwujaren and Mr Dele Oyewale,
did not respond to their calls nor responded to WhatsApp and text messages from
our correspondent, Saturday night.
A member
of the Ogun State House of Assembly representing the ruling All Progressives
Congress, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity,
however, confirmed the situation.
He said,
“The information you got is correct. Our speaker was arrested by officials of
the EFCC earlier this morning. From what I gathered, he was alleged to have been
involved in misappropriation and embezzlement of funds.”
It was
further gathered that the absence of the Speaker prevented the House from
observing its last Thursday sitting.
Our
correspondent learnt that the Deputy Speaker, Akeem Balogun, who is statutorily
saddled with the responsibility of conducting the businesses of the Assembly,
also could not convene the sitting of the House.
When our
correspondent visited the Assembly complex on Thursday, staff members of the
Assembly were seen gathering in groups and discussing in a hushed tone.
A source
at the Assembly confided in our correspondent that the Speaker’s refusal to
honour the EFCC’s invitation was premised on the existing litigation instituted
by the Assembly earlier in January this year at the Federal High Court sitting
in Abeokuta, against the agency.
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