Just in : Former Deputy Governor’s Aides land in court for Stealing
Ogunmusi Samuel and Akintoye Olatunji, who are former aides to the former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, have been dragged before a Chief Magistrate Court in Akure, allegedly for stealing and obtaining money under false pretences.
The suspects were alleged to have collected a car from a vehicle dealer in Akure without payment in 2018 to date.
However, one of the aides, Ogunmusi, stated in a written statement that he was only acting on the directives of his boss, who called him into the office in 2018 and instructed him to take the first respondent to the automart of Segun Adetuwo to collect a car.
He, however, said the respondent collected a black Toyota Camry XLE from the applicant, Segun Adetuwo, and left without paying for the car.
Having been unable to recover the money from the two defendants since 2018, the dealer, Segun Adetuwo, dragged the duo before the Chief Magisterial Court sitting in Akure.
The counsel to the prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo, while speaking in court during the arraignment of Olatunji and Ogunmusi, told the court that the former deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, has not responded to police invitations to come and tell the court his side of the incident.
The charge number MA/C/2/26/C 2023 reads inter alia: “That you, Akintoye Olatunji, Ogunmusi Samuel, and others now at large sometime in the month of May 2018 at Automart Akure in the Akure magisterial district did conspire with yourselves to commit a felony, to wit: obtaining by false pretence and stealing and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 37, vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.
“That you, Akintoye Olatunji, Ogunmusi Samuel, and others now at large sometime in the month of May 2018 at Automart Akure in the Akure magisterial district did by false pretence and with intent to defraud obtain one brand new black Toyota Camry XLE valued at Five Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N5,400,000) only, the property of one Segun Adetuwo, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a)(c) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud-related offences Act, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2006.
“That you, Akintoye Olatunji, Ogunmusi Samuel, and others now at large on the same date and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did fraudulently convert one Toyota Camry XLE valued at Five Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N5,400,000) property of one Segun Adetuwo to your own and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383, and punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.”
The attorney for the first respondent, Barrister Omolegbon Odunsola, pleaded with the court that he had been making efforts to reach out to the deputy governor and the applicant, Segun Adetuwo, to see how the issue could be settled out of court.
But the attorney for the applicant, Barrister Alex Olademehin, told the court that the deputy governor, Ajayi, could not give his side of the incident by proxy.
He argued that Agboola should either go to the police and give his written statement or appear in court in person.
Giving his ruling, the presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Taiwo Lebi, said the deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi, or his statement must be produced in court on the next adjournment date and, therefore, adjourned the hearing to November 24, 2023.
