The Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 14, 2017, arraigned the duo of
the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi G. Daramola and the Bursar, Emmanuel
Ayodeji A. Oresegun, before Justice S.A Bola of Ondo State High Court, Akure
Ondo State, on a 9-count charge bordering on obtaining under false pretense,
abuse of office, misappropriation of funds and conspiracy to steal to the tune
of N156,984,455.33 (One Hundred and Fifty Six Million Nine Hundred and Eighty
Four Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Five Naira Thirty Three Kobo).
The VC and the Bursar’s journey
to the dock followed a petition received by the EFCC in 2016, alleging that the
duo and the governing council of the University were entrenched in unmitigated
corruption, fraud, mindless stealing of the funds of the Federal University of
Technology, Akure, Ondo State.
It was alleged that the VC misapplied funds, collected housing allowances
whilst living in the government residential quarters, drew Furniture Allowance
annually instead of once in 4 years as approved by the income and wages
Commission, used public funds to finance private expenses, illegal payment of
allowances to Council members of the university, gives self excessive cash
advance, direct procurement of motor vehicles without approval/waiver from
Bureau of Public Procurement, collecting bogus monthly interest, transferred
and placed N100,000,000.00 funds of the University in a fixed deposit account
without due authorization.
One of the count charge
reads: “That you, Professor Adebiyi G. Daramola on or about the 2nd of
September, 2016 at Akure within the Akure Judicial Division of the honourable
court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of Twenty Four Million Two
Hundred and Twenty Three Thousand Four Hundred and Eighty Four Naira (N24,
223,484.00) only from the Federal University of Technology Akure, when you
falsely represented that the said sum of money was for your Biennial family
vacation overseas for the year 2015 and 2016, which representation you knew was
false”
Another
count read: “That you, Professor Adebiyi G. Daramola and Emmanuel A. Ayodeji
Oresegun on or about the 21st January, 2015, at Akure within the Akure Judicial
Division of this honourable court with intent to defraud, conspired to fix the
sum of One Hundred Million Naira (N100, 000,000:00) only property of Federal
University of Technology, Akure in a Wema bank account No: 1300003035 without
due process.
In view of their plea,
counsel to EFCC, Dr Benedict Ubi asked for a trial date. But counsel to the 1st
and 2nd defendants, Adebayo Olanipekun and O. Theophilus, prayed the court to
allow them to move oral application for bail. Ubi was opposed to oral
application for bail, stating that the counsel have to put facts before the
court as to the reason why the defendants must be granted or refused bail, the
the need for time to peruse and react to the content of the bail application.
Justice Bola, after considering
the arguments of all the counsels, granted bail to the defendants in N10m bond,
2 sureties in like sum who must be professors in the Federal University of
Technology, Akure, or public officer not less than grade level 17, must depose
to affidavit of means, present title documents of landed properties within the
jurisdiction of the court and must present evidence of tax payment for the past
3 years.
Justice Bola however adjourned the matter to 20, 21 and 22 of March for trial
and ordered that the defendants be remanded in State CID, Police headquarters,
Akure pending the perfection of their bail applications.
Source: politicsngr.com
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