The Lagos State Government has arraigned a former staff of The Punch Newspapers Limited, Olusegun Ogunbanjo, over alleged involvement in fraud to the tune of N950 million.
Ogunbanjo was arraigned before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, presided over by Justice Ismail Ijelu on an eight count charge bordering on the alleged offence and had pleaded not guilty to all the counts as read to him.
As a result of the not-guilty plea position of the defendant, the counsel for the LASG, Somade, asked the judge for a trial date in October.
But in his response, the counsel for the defendant, S. E Okeke, who hinted to the court that he was just getting into the matter, pleaded with the judge for a short date to enable him to file an application for bail on behalf of the defendant.
In a short ruling, Justice Ijelu, while stating that the defendant’s lawyer had nothing before the court to warrant him being attended to, directed that Ogunbanjo should remain in Kirikiri Correctional Facility pending when his bail application would be ready and entertained by the court.
The judge adjourned the matter until October 16, 2024, for the commencement of trial.
It would be recalled that Justice Ijelu had earlier ordered the remand of Ogunbanjo at the Kirikiri Correctional Facility over his alleged involvement in fraud to the tune of N950 million.
Ogunbanjo, according to the judge, is to remain in Kirikiri pending his arraignment on the alleged fraud charge slammed against him by the LASG.
Justice Ijelu arrived at the decision consequent upon an exparte application filed and argued by the counsel for the Lagos State Government, LASG, Babajide Martins, dated June 19 and supported with 14 paragraphs affidavit.
In the exparte application, Martins argued that the court had on May 28, 2024, issued a warrant of arrest against the defendant who had refused to appear in court to answer criminal charges against him.
The LASG’s counsel who further posited that the lawyer for the defendant, Chijioke Jiakponna had told the court to produce the defendant for arraignment, but did not, before the court issued a warrant of arrest, maintained that “in consonance with the law, we filed a written address as well as the affidavit in support of the exparte application.
“The application is seeking an order to remand the defendant pending the arraignment.
“The defendant failed to appear in court to answer the criminal charge against him. The counsel on record had informed the court to bring the defendant but failed to do so.
“It was the Department of State Security, DSS, that arrested him on June 14. The application is harmless and is in tandem with the law.
“The court should take judicial notice that the criminal charge has been pending since November 2023.
“On March 28, the court issued a warrant of arrest when he failed to appear in court.”
Aside from Ogunbanjo, other defendants in the suit designated ID/21559C/2023 are Olawunmi Ogunbanjo, Vaneloo International Limited, Valeco Global Ventures, Bagco Garba, Taofeek Ogunbanjo, Ifeanyi Odogwu, Bound Media Limited and Godwin Benson.
Ogunbanjo was first arraigned on March 8, 2023, on three counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, and stealing before the Magistrates’ Court by the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
The police had specifically accused Ogunbanjo of committing the alleged offence between January 2017 and December 2022 in the Ikorodu area of the state.
Ogunbanjo was alleged to have obtained N450m from one Olusola lkuyajesin and N500m from one Durodola Balogun under the pretence of using the money to buy stationery.
The defendant was further accused of forging the organisation’s Local Purchase Orders, LPO, to carry out the acts.
According to the prosecution, the offence contravene Sections 287, 314, and 365 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
But the 45-year-old Ogunbanjo pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N10m with two responsible sureties in like sum.
However, since November, when the case was filed before the Special Offences Court, he had failed to appear before the judge.
In his ruling, Justice Ijelu had declared that, “The ACJL 2021 states that where the defendant is arrested after a bench warrant has been issued, the defendant must be brought to court for a remand.
“It is on record that this court issued a warrant of arrest against the defendant on March 28. It is hereby ordered that the first defendant be remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Center until June 20 for his arraignment.”
