Court Summons Prison Official As Fraud Suspect Goes Missing

According to a report by The PUNCH, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has subpoenaed an officer of the Nigerian Correctional Service, J.O. Oyaleke, over a “missing” fraud suspect, Otuyalo Oluwadamilola.

Otuyalo, who is prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, was remanded in the correctional facility by the court for his alleged involvement in cybercrimes to the tune of £45,000.

The Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, who said this in a statement on Tuesday, stated that Oyaleke was served with the summon on February 25, 2022.

The officer who is attached to Justice Uche Agomoh’s court and charged with the responsibility of producing any defendant remanded by same court failed to produce the defendant on the 2nd of December, 2021 which had been slated for commencement of trial.

When asked by the court about the whereabouts of the defendant, Oyaleke told the court that the defendant was amongst the 401 inmates who fled Abolongo Custodial Centre on October 22, 2021, during an attack by some hoodlums.

He further told the court that the Oyo State office of the Nigerian Correctional Service is working with relevant agencies to ensure the re-arrest of the fleeing defendant.

The defendant was arraigned sometime last year on five charges for internet fraud and he pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Otuyalo Oluwadamilola, between August, 2017 to September, 2017 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court took possession of the aggregate sum of N16, 638, 000.00 (Sixteen Million, Six Hundred and Thirty-eight Thousand Naira Only) paid into your account with Zenith Bank Plc-1005137906 under the disguise that the said sum was for a business transaction when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity, to wit: Internet Fraud, and hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

Justice Agomoh, however, adjourned the matter till June 29, 2022, for mention.