The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned a couple, Oriyomi Idowu and Ruth Idowu, before a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on 20-count charge bordering on various offences.
The offences include, obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, stealing, retention of stolen property, and forgery to the tune of N2,757,188,000 (Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty Seven Million, One Hundred and Eighty Eight Naira) only.
They were arraigned alongside Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Limited, Samee Idowu Company Limited and Farmex Integrated Companies Limited, which all belong to Ruth Idowu.
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, prayed the court for a trial date and the remand of the defendants at a Correctional Facility.
Counsel to the first defendant, G. Onwubuya, informed the court of the bail application of his client, which had yet to be served on the prosecution. He prayed the court to remand the defendants in the EFCC custody and also sought a short adjournment for the hearing and determination of the bail application.
In her objection, Buhari informed the court that the holding facility of the EFCC was already overstretched. She also told the court that the appropriate place, following arraignment, was a Correctional Centre.
The Judge held that there was no bail application before the court for the second defendant, whose counsel, J.J. Ogunyemi, had yet to file.
Consequently, Justice Dada adjourned the matter till December 15, 2023 and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Correctional Centre “pending hearing and determination of their bail applications”.
