EFCC Drags Man To Court Over Alleged ₦13.6m Fraud In Ibadan

According to Ireporter Online, Oyepeju was arraigned alongside two companies, Alwajeez International Nigeria Limited and AIN Homes and Property Limited, on a six-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency.

The EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, disclosed the development in a statement issued in Ibadan on Wednesday.

The commission alleged that Oyepeju defrauded Fasasi Bayonle, an Islamic cleric and Nigerian based in Dubai, of money and property after both men became acquainted through a WhatsApp group created for Muslims and the propagation of Islamic teachings. The EFCC said the two men also served as tutors on the platform.

One of the charges accused Oyepeju and the two companies of converting ₦8,697,900 belonging to Bayonle for their personal use between February and August 2020.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges after they were read to him before the court.

Following his plea, EFCC counsel, Sanusi Galadanchi, requested an adjournment for trial and asked the court to remand Oyepeju in a correctional facility.

However, his lawyer, B. Ajibola, informed the court that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.

Justice Olusola Adetujoye subsequently adjourned the matter for hearing of the bail application and ordered that Oyepeju be remanded at the Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan.

The EFCC said the case dates back to 2018 when Oyepeju allegedly approached Bayonle for financial assistance to secure accommodation for himself and his newly married wife in Ibadan.

The commission said Bayonle initially considered providing financial assistance but instead allowed Oyepeju to temporarily occupy his unoccupied property located at Ikumapayi area of Olodo, Ibadan. The house had reportedly been occupied by Bayonle before he relocated to the United Arab Emirates.

According to the EFCC, Oyepeju, who allegedly presented himself as a property developer, later persuaded Bayonle to provide funds for the acquisition of land and construction of another house in Ibadan.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Bayonle subsequently transferred ₦8,697,900 to Oyepeju for the proposed land purchase and construction project.

However, investigators alleged that Oyepeju later forged a “Transfer of Agreement” document purportedly relating to a transaction between him and Bayonle.

The EFCC further alleged that Oyepeju sold the property he had been permitted to occupy temporarily to companies linked to him and converted the proceeds to personal use.

The commission also claimed that despite receiving the money intended for the purchase and development of land, the defendant failed to fulfil the agreement.

Oyepeju is currently being held at the correctional centre pending the hearing of his bail application, while the case awaits further proceedings.