By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has docked a couple Oriyomi Idowu and his wife Ruth Idowu before an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, over alleged N2, 757, 188, 000. 00 billion fraud.
The couple were arraigned before Justice Mojisola Dada on 20-counts charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence, money laundering, stealing, retention of stolen property and forgery.
They were arraigned alongside some limited liability companies, Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Limited, Samee Idowu Company Limited, and Farmex Integrated Companies Limited, which all belong to Ruth Idowu.
One of the counts reads: “That Ruth Sameeha Idowu, a.k.a Loiry Ventures, Oriyomi Kabeer Idowu, a.k.a Yocli Ventures, Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Ltd, Samee Idowu Company Limited, Farmex Integrated Companies Limited, sometime in 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, converted the sum of N10,000,000 to purchase a GLK Benz, purchase sum derived from converting the sum of N500,000,000 belonging to Creditpro Business Support Services with the aim of disguising the illegal origin of the funds.”
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Another count reads: “That Ruth Sameeha Idowu, a.k.a Loiry Ventures, Oriyomi Kabeer Idowu, a.k.a Yocli Ventures, Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Ltd., Samee Idowu Company Limited, Farmex Integrated Companies Limited, sometime in 2023 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, dishonestly retained the sum of N936,619,876 (Nine Hundred and Thirty-Six Million, Six Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Six Naira only ) in your UBA bank account, property of Creditpro Business Support Services knowing same to be funds fraudulently obtained from Creditpro Business Support Services.”
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Mrs. Bilikisu Buhari-Bala, asked the court for a trial date and the remand of the defendants at a Correctional Facility.
But counsel to the first defendant, G. Onwubuya, informed the court of the bail application of his client, which was yet to be served on the prosecution. He prayed the court to remand the defendants in the EFCC custody and also sought a short adjournment for the hearing and determination of the bail application.
In her objection, Buhari-Bala informed the court that the holding facility of the EFCC was already overstretched. She also told the court that the appropriate place, following arraignment, was a Correctional Centre.
The Judge noted that there was no bail application before the court for the second defendant, whose counsel, J. J. Ogunyemi, was yet to file.
Consequently, Justice Dada adjourned the matter till December 15, 2023 and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Correctional Centre “pending hearing and determination of their bail applications”.