A Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ordered an officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Deputy Superintendent of the Correction (DSC), J.O. Oyaleke, to appear in court to answer questions over his failure to produce a defendant, Otuyalo Oluwadamilola, in court.
The defendant was being prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and remanded by the court for his involvement in cybercrimes to the tune of £45,000.
Oyaleke was served with the summon last Friday to come and testify about the whereabouts of the defendant.
The officer, attached to Justice Uche Agomoh’s court and charged with the responsibility of producing any defendant remanded by the same court, reportedly failed to produce the defendant on December 2, 2021, which had been slated for commencement of trial.
When the court asked about the whereabouts of the defendant, Oyaleke had said that he was among the 401 inmates who fled the Abolongo Correctional facility on October 22, 2021, during an attack by some bandits.
He further told the court that the Oyo State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service had been working with relevant agencies to ensure the re-arrest of the fleeing defendant.
It will be recalled that the defendant was arraigned sometime last year on a five-count charge for internet fraud, to which he pleaded not guilty.
One of the counts read: “That you, Otuyalo Oluwadamilola, between August 2017 and September 2017 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court took possession of the aggregate sum of N16,638,000 million paid into your account with Zenith Bank Plc-1005137906 under the disguise that the said sum was for a business transaction when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity, to wit: internet fraud, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”
Justice Agomoh adjourned the matter till June 29 for mention.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune