N11.5bn fraud: Court dismisses Akala’s suit

Agboola Bayo
IThe Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, yesterday dismissed the appeal filed by the immediate past governor of Oyo state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, seeking the quashing of the alleged N11.5 billion fraud instituted against him by the Economic AND Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In the judgement read by Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, the Court of Appeal declared that the preliminary objection raised by the former governor on the alleged fraud was premature.
According to Justice Dongban-Mensem, the former governor ought to have waited for the trial to go mid-way at the High Court before appealing against the position of the lower court.
The judge said Otunba Alao-Akala failed to provide enough evidence to warrant the court of Appeal to quash the ruling of the lower court on the alleged N11.5 billion fraud.

Justice Dongban-Mensem then ordered the former governor to return to the High Court and face his trial.
Blueprint recalls that an Oyo state High Court sitting in Ibadan on December 12, 2012, ruled that the former governor and two others, Sen. Hosea Ayoola  Agboola who was a former Commissioner for local government and Chieftaincy Matters in Oyo state, and a consultant to the state government, Engr. Femi Babalola, had a case to answer.
EFCC is prosecuting the former governor and the two others on an 11-count charge of conspiracy, contract awards without budgetary provisions, and obtaining by false pretence.