The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Monday, arraigned the impeached Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, and two other principal career officers of the Assembly, Dayo Samuel and Adeyemo Adedeji, before a Federal High Court sitting in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital.
Oluomo and the two other persons were dragged before the court by the anti-graft agency, EFCC for allegedly misappropriating public funds running into N2.5 billion.
Oluomo allegedly committed this financial fraud while he was the Speaker of the Assembly in 2022.
Oluomo was last week impeached by 18 out of 26 lawmakers over allegations bordering on financial misappropriation, highhandedness, gross misconduct, arrogance, poor leadership style, lack of focus and transparency, and pitching members against themselves.
But the impeached Speaker has described his removal as illegal, saying that he had already instituted a suit at the state high court to challenge his impeachment.
On Monday, shortly after the three accused persons entered the dock, the court discovered that the counsel for the EFCC could not make it to court.
The presiding judge, Justice Agatha Okeke, however, adjourned the case to February 29 and March 1.
In September 2022, EFCC arrested and later arraigned Oluomo for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly, in suit no: FHC/AB/61C/2022.
Oluomo was arraigned alongside the Clerk of the House, Taiwo Adeyemo, and the Director of Finance, Oladayo Samuel.
The antigraft agency had accused the Speaker and others of forging receipts and signatures to divert billions of naira from the Assembly’s coffers.
They were thereafter granted bail after pleading not guilty, even as they were asked to submit their travel documents at the court registry.