N800 million university fraud: You have a case to answer, court tells ex-minister

February 10, 2017Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji

Former Minister of Works Adeseye Ogunlewe [Photo Credit: Daily Post]

An Abeokuta High Court on Friday ruled that a former Minister of Works and Housing, Adeseye Ogunlewe, has a case to answer over alleged misappropriation of N800 million at Federal University of Agriculture, FUNAAB, Abeokuta, when he was pro-chancellor of the institution.

Mr. Ogunlewe is standing trial alongside the Vice Chancellor of the university, Olusola Oyewole, and the Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi, in the matter filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

They were arraigned on November 25, 2016 on an 18 -count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence and abuse of office.

Mr. Ogunlewe had approached the court to quash the charges against him on the grounds of “misjoinder of offences, misjoinder of offenders and duplicity”.

The former minister, through his counsel, Tayo Oyetibo, had argued in support of the application that the proof of evidence did not link him with the charges or disclose any prima facie against him.

He also claimed that the consent of the Attorney General of Ogun State/Law officer was not obtained by the prosecution as required by law before the charges were filed.‎

Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB)

However, at the resumed hearing of the matter, after the adoption of the written addresses made by the parties, Justice O. C Majekodunmi ruled in favour of the EFCC.

All the grounds raised by Mr. Ogunlewe’s counsel at Thursday’s sitting were dismissed.

The prosecution counsel, Ben Ubi, thereafter sought for commencement of trial. He informed the court that there were three witnesses in court ready to testify.

But all the counsel to the three accused persons sought for an adjournment on the ground that they were just served additional proof of evidence and would need time to study the documents.

The court conceded to their application and adjourned the case to March 8 and 10 for commencement of trial.

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Top News

Dazmillion

Is Ogunlewe not to old to be a corrupt rat. At what point will he retire
- Crimes Watch
  
  @Dazmillion:disqus
  
  Muhamadu BUHARI’s corrupt double standard
  
  The Buhari regime must be stopped, not just called to order,
  but stopped in its tribalistic tracks. President Buhari is giving impunity to Muslim
  northerners who stole huge amounts and were caught by law-enforcement. It is
  not only the 1.4 trillion Naira scam at Central Bank of Nigeria under Sanusi Lamido
  Sanusi that the corruptly compromised President Buhari sweeps under the carpet
  several other cases of thefts by Muslims from northern Nigeria are now being swept
  under the carpet.
  
  Ahmed Saleh, the registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,
  is a northern Muslim. He was found to have diverted 2.2 billion Naira. He acted
  in concert with two other northern Muslims; namely, Muhammed Abdulrahman Sharif
  and Rilwanu Lawal. They were in a confederacy of high crimes of theft.
  
  The three men were arrested
  and charged for stealing inter alia. But in a highly corrupt about-face
  President Buhari’s attorney-general (another northern Muslim) withdrew all the
  charges against the troika of thieves, to go free with their 2.2billion loot. But the Justice
  of the Supreme Court found with millions of cash under his bed, Sylvester Nwali Ngwuta,
  a Southern Christian, was slammed with more charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
  This is how Muhamadu Buhari destroys Nigeria with rabid Islamism and brazen tribalism.
  - Foreign Bulletin
    
    “In 2015, Buhari won the Nigerian presidential election
    with a campaign that promised to right the wrongs of the previous
    administration. Less than two years later, a lot of Nigerians are regretting
    their decision. Fuel subsidy has been removed, the cost of living has more
    than doubled, unemployment is on the increase, and in 2016 the country officially
    went into recession. Business owners and individuals are groaning under the weight
    of a forex situation that has seen the naira exchanging at N500:$1 in the open market.
    The government has also implemented a number of economic policies which have done
    little to alleviate the situation. Meanwhile President Buhari, who was supposed to return
    from a 10-day medical leave in the UK on Monday has extended it indefinitely,
    fuelling speculations that he is either very sick or dead.”
    
    ………….African Indepent newspaper
    
    (South Africa)
  - Gibson Bosah
    
    Next time ends with #Copied
    - Point Blank
      
      @gibsonbosah:disqus
      
      MUHAMADU BUHARI IS NOT A FORCE FOR GOOD. HE IS VILE IN THOUGHTS.
      
      NIGERIA WILL BE A BETTER PLACE IF BUHARI IS REPEALED AND REPLACED.
  - Sir Louis
    
    Hm m m. Nigerians need soul- searching.
- Höly Wähala
  
  C’mon shut up dia! How old is Pa Olu Falae, did he too also have a case to answer on fraud? A Yoro will always be a Yoro and they have no, “Age Limit” in committing graft, be it Femi Fani-Kayode or Adeseye Ogunlewe… tief na tief. LOL!
  - Dazmillion
    
    What about Ibos?
Odus

And this is why your children spent 8 years instead of 4 years in college for first degree. Which way Nigeria?
- Law Lexis
  
  @disqus_lp9VXV2hW9:disqus
  
  The Nigerian Supreme Court was at its most ignorant
  in the decided case of Attorney General vs. Muhammed Abacha where the
  sloppy Supreme Court held that a case can be decided without hearing the evidence in full
  solely based on a casual statement by lawyer to the accused criminal that the evidence of
  the Prosecutors, as typed on paper, does not link, the accused person with the crime. Silly!
  - V.O Akins
    
    Hahahahahaha! But the same court in its sane moment would be the first to say fair hearing means listening to the evidence from both sides. That bad example of deciding a case without hearing both sides
    has now become the latest weapon in the hands of all accused criminals who now put prosecutors on trial,
    instead of answering for the crimes they are charged with (as accused criminals). What a country, Nigeria!
  - Ess Esquire
    
    ONE OF THE JUDGES IN THE SUPREME COURT EVEN BLASTED HIS COLLEAGUES
    AS MISCARRYING JUSTICE IN THE CASE OF MUHAMED ABACHA THROUGH WHAT
    DISSENTING JUSTICE EJIWUNMI DESCRIBED AS A TYRANNY OF MAJORITY JUDGES.
zacchaeus Akinleye

Another PDP bagman is in the bullseye of the EFCC. If you’re not with Buhari in this anti-corruption drive, you’re an accomplice. The future of the republic is slipping away … DO SOMETHING NIGERIA!!!
- Gibson Bosah
  
  Always take ur drugs at least 2hrs b4 u login
  - Dokoku
    
    @zacchaeusakinleye:disqus
    
    APC is a coalition of illiterates – the worst party Nigeria’s ever had –
    a political party without honesty,
    
    clarity or competence under the
    control of a rustic rural dweller with no modern mentality or any
    Wasc/Gce certificate. APC is the cause of the worst economic recession Nigeria has ever had.
    
    Suicide
    rates have shot up as a result of this APC Muslims’ coalition of
    illiterates without gumption, knowledge, wisdom or understanding. Now,
    APC is rejected at sight as it should be because APC
    is a disgrace to everyone who’s ever gone to school – a big affront to logical thinking in the world.
- marc umeh
  
  And you believe Buhari is really fighting corruption ?. So how many of them are in jail.? They are simply creating jobs for Sans.
  Revolution or death.!!!!!
Wetin Naija

Is it possible to find any honest person in Nigeria?
Dodondawa

Which one thief pass the other, Adeseye Ogunlwe or Bode George?
Eric Olson

@disqus_B9FMHimKnD:disqus ,

So many graduates; yet, a southern Nigeria of idiots

I took time for five days to read past comments posted during the days of Jonathan
and concluded that Nigerians are either un-evolved fully or just plain suicidal. I read
very indignant posts on 300 million Naira allegedly put on top of BMW cars supplied
to the Ministry of Aviation by Coscharis Motors and compared the silence here on
the ₦2.2 billion stolen by three Muslim officials of Supreme Court, posted below.

I shook my head. I compared the sums involved in both cases and calculated
that the Supreme Court theft by the three northern Muslims is over four times
the sales amount allegedly inflated by Coscharis Motors. I saw all hell let loose
by Nigerians on the 300 million Naira and compared it to the sheep-like silence
on the current 2.2 billion Naira theft at the Supreme Court.

“Are Nigerians really human beings?”, immediately occurred to me after comparing.
I better understood why America supported Buhari at the 2015 election – despite that
Buhari has no educational qualification to be president of any other country in the world.
I saw the over-educated southern Nigerians in the light they are often derided as fodder
for mostly illiterate northern Nigerians – who are in turn satirized as cows. I now saw the
sense. Cows eat grass! Educated southern Nigerians are educated for nothing – useless!
They may be condemned to live under the diktat of illiterates for life, since they can’t think.
- ::????????
  
  Premium Times Editor,
  
  Can Nigeria survive as a country under President Buhari? No electricity since Christmas in many neighbourhoods
  in Lagos state and across Nigeria. There’s no water too. Soon there will be no petrol to power a generator or to
  fuel a motorcycle or a car. Can human civilization be maintained under the inhuman conditions imposed by
  President Buhari – given that unemployment is now over 35% and over five million Nigerians have so far
  lost their jobs under President Buhari’s regime. Inflation is over 18% and the National currency has
  been devalued close to 515 Naira to one dollar. Can Nigeria survive under Muhamadu Buhari?
  - Osakue
    
    What of our people vandalizing govt installations no regard for govt facilities we abuse everything power water roads land air sea. A good government starts from you. Buhari will not come and fix your overloaded transformers or your dirty drain that it almost impossible to lay water pipes. Na we dey do ourselves
  - Osakue
    
    Even some Nigeria youths don’t want to work a lot just want fame “just like that” “wizkid wanna be” 419 drugs etc no body one do hand work again. Na Buhari cause that one too?
  - marc umeh
    
    Nigerians they say are the happiest people on earth. Maybe not anymore but their capacity to absorb abuse is limitless.
- Segun Awodeji
  
  ……………..Apart from the Igbo and the south-south minorities (except Binis in Edo state)…..
  ………the Yoruba and the rest of southern Nigerians brought Muhamadu Buhari to power……..
  ……………..Therefore, the Yoruba degraded themselves as the most educated people………….
  ……waving brooms for illiteracy…..as if a civilization collapse has occurred in Yorubaland……
  ……………But it has!….Otherwise the Yoruba will not be morons told how to think by Bola Tinubu…..
  - Kiliwi2000
    
    @wetinnaija:disqus
    
    THERE ARE HONEST PEOPLE IN NIGERIA. THEY CANNOT HAVE THE BILLIONS of NAIRA
    TREASURY THIEVES HAVE. NO HONEST MAN CAN COMPETE WITH TREASURY THIEF,
    BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS VOTE FOR THIEVES WHO GIVE THEM RICE.
    - Pablus Roma
      
      @wetinnaija:disqus : Bola Tinubu will be cited as a very terrible example for future generations
      in Yorubaland that a political party must never again be based on “a coalition of Muslims”
      or must any political party in Yorubaland ever be formed again for Muslim rule. The result of
      Islamism is always APC plus ignorance, economic recession, suicide, unemployment, violence, murder, illiteracy, rape, robbery, inflation and mass poverty.
      - Osakue
        
        You are part of the problem. Instead of you to talk about the intellects in the party you are looking at religion. I pity you. You are scientifically blind. I pray time will heal you
  - Osakue
    
    The Nigeria of today might be tough bcos of what we have done in the past. APC is a far far better government any day anytime then so called pdpigs
- marc umeh
  
  You simply have the nerve to write what many are thinking. Education has not gotten the south very far.
- Lanre
  
  Very funny. Some of us are thinking. We shall correct this mistake.