EFCC arrests 10 in Oyo N1.59b pension fraud

Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested 10 persons accused of stealing N1.59 billion from the Oyo State Pensions Board.

The accused persons are Alhaji Hakeem Muili, Alhaja Iyabo Giwa, Adeduntan Johnson, Oguntayo Banji, Adesina Jimoh, Johnson Bosede, Adebiyi Olasumbo, Kareem Rasheed, Muili Adedamola and Salewa Adedeji.

They were arrested as they came out of the Magistrate’s Court, Iyaganku in Ibadan, the state capital and taken away in the commission’s bus to Lagos.

Alhaja Giwa, however, escaped arrest, even though she was on the court premises.

Their arrest is sequel to an Ibadan Chief Magistrate’s Court’s ruling, which struck out the case following an application filed by the Principal State Counsel, Ademola Ojekunle, on June 4.

The state government applied that the case be struck out.

Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Adebayo Ojo affirmed that the EFCC has taken over the matter.

Ojo said the defendants would be prosecuted if found culpable by the EFCC