Council Aide Who Exposed Multi-Billion Naira Fraud in LGA Arrested, Granted Bail
A Magistrate Court in Lagos State has granted bail to Ganiyu Olamiji Oyebanjo, the Special Adviser on Boundary Matters for Kosofe Local Government, following his arrest by the Nigerian police.
Oyebanjo was reportedly apprehended by policemen from Zone 2 in Lagos around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the police arraigned Oyebanjo before the court on charges of theft and possession of classified documents. During the court proceedings, Chief Magistrate Olanrewaju Olatunji granted him bail set at N5 million, with two sureties. One of the sureties is required to provide a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), while the other must have a bank account balance of at least N5 million.
According to sources, prior to his arraignment, Oyebanjo was taken home by the police for a house search. His arrest follows a petition he filed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging financial mismanagement within the Kosofe Local Government Council.
The petition, submitted on October 23, 2024, accused Ogunlewe and several council supervisors of corruption, embezzlement, and contract inflation amounting to billions of naira. In response to the allegations, ICPC officials invited the chairman and other council officials for questioning at their office in Ikoyi, Lagos, where they were reportedly grilled for several hours.
However, the Kosofe Local Government administration has released a statement distancing Oyebanjo’s arrest from the petition.
“We wish to clarify that his arrest is unrelated to any petition he may have authored. Rather, it pertains to a reported incident from June 2024, wherein Mr. Oyebanjo allegedly gained unauthorised access to the Executive Chairman’s office and removed classified government documents,” the statement read.
The case has drawn attention to governance and financial accountability at the local government level. Lagos Reporters will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as the situation unfolds.
