The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, the state capital, has fixed November 4, 2023, as the date to commence trial in a case of alleged stealing preferred against a middle-aged man, Obakin Emmanuel Ajibola.

Ajibola is standing trial on four-count charges bordering on stealing to the tune of N251,685, 000 preferred against him by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

One of the charges read: “That you Obakin Emmanuel Ajibola, adult, male sometime in December, 2022 at Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did fraudulently steal the sum of N120, 500, 000.00 (One Hundred and Twenty Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) belonging to Lee Fakino Nigeria Limited, an offence of stealing contrary to Section 390(9) Criminal Code Law.”

At the resumption of the case on Monday, October 23, the parties to the matter, including the victim of the crime, Akindele Fajemiyo, the managing director and chief executive officer of Lee Fakino Nigeria Limited, who is the first prosecution witness, were informed of an adjournment arrangement till November 4.

Ajibola was arraigned on September 12 before Justice Ladiran Akintola on four-count charges bordering on alleged stealing of N251.6 million belonging to a firm, Lee Fakino Nigeria Limited.

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He, however, pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

The EFCC stated that the defendant, who was one of the two directors of the firm and signatory to the firm’s account, allegedly withdrew N251.6 million from the firm without authorisation and consent of Fajemiyo.

The anti-graft agency noted that investigations revealed that the middle-aged man allegedly removed the telephone numbers and email address of the MD/CEO of the firm from the banking details of Lee Fakino Nigeria Limited, through which notification alerts of transactions were received, to enable him keep track of the account.

Ajibola was said to have allegedly withdrew N251.6 million from the account of the firm, which was money paid for works executed by Lee Fakino Nigeria Limited for the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture between December 22, 2022, and March 9, 2023, without any notification received by the MD.

The Star