Oyo Comptroller lands in prison over alleged N25m fraud

The Upper Area Court sitting in Ilorin has ordered the remand of Oyo State Comptroller of Correctional Service Centre, Bamidele Ademola, for allegedly defrauding one Dele Adeleke to the tune of N2 million.

This is the second time the judge will issue the order following Ademola’s alleged perpetual habit of jumping bail.

It was also gathered that Ademola had one time been remanded at the Correctional Service Centre, but was released when he paid less than a million naira as part of the said money.

The direct complaint filed against the defendants revealed that the complainant paid the cumulative sum of N25 million for the purchase of a landed property situated at Ipaye Street, Off Onikanga Road, GRA, Ilorin.

The payments were said to be made in tranches into the Fidelity Bank account of Ademola and the last deposit was done on Jan. 29, 2019.

The direct complaint stressed that it was one Mr Popoola Gabriel who initially had interest in acquiring the property that introduced the complainant to the defendant.

Popoola had paid the sum of N1.4 million into the comptroller’s account, who promised to refund the money, the charge sheet revealed.

It was stated further that Ademola agreed to hand over the property to the complainant on Feb. 10, 2018, but failed to either do so or refund the money paid into his account.

Efforts geared towards recovering the property from the defendant was said to have proven abortive despite the intervention of personalities from Omu-Aran, the headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.

The defendant claimed that the reason he jumped bail was owing to health challenge.

The judge, Sunday Adeniyi, however adjourned the case till May 11, for the hearing.