In a proceeding held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja adjourned the trial of a couple, Ruth and Oriyomi Idowu, in connection to an alleged N2.7 billion fraud. The trial is set to resume on February 2, 2024.
The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the couple on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, on a 20-count charge. The charges include offenses such as obtaining money by false pretense, money laundering, stealing, retention of stolen property, and forgery, amounting to N2,757,188,000.00 (Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Seven Million, One Hundred and Eighty-Eight Thousand Naira Only).
The accused were brought before the court alongside entities linked to Ruth Idowu, namely Food Commodity Processing Enterprise, Bonway Food Processing Company Limited, Samee Idowu Company Limited, and Farmex Integrated Companies Limited.
One of the counts in the charges alleges that the defendants conspired to defraud Creditpro Business Support Services Ltd by falsely claiming to possess a genuine Local Purchase Order (LPO) from various vendors. The prosecution contends that between March 31, 2022, and May 17, 2023, the accused obtained the sum of N2,757,188,000.00 under false pretenses.
Another count accuses Ruth Sameeha Idowu and Oriyomi Kabeer Idowu of converting N10,000,000 to purchase a GLK Benz in 2023. This amount is alleged to have originated from the conversion of N500,000,000 belonging to Creditpro Business Support Services, with the intention of disguising the funds’ illegal origin.
During the recent court session, the prosecution counsel, A.O. Mohammed, informed the court of the unavailability of a crucial witness. Mohammed expressed regret, stating, “Up until yesterday, the witness gave an indication of appearing in court. But yesterday, there was an unexpected change in the situation. I apologize to the court and to the defense.”
In response, the defense counsel, led by Babatunde Ogala, SAN, and James Alara, sought an adjournment due to the unexpected absence of the witness. Ogala emphasized that the delay was initiated by the prosecution.
Apologizing for the development, Mohammed requested a short adjournment, and consequently, Justice Dada granted the adjournment, rescheduling the case for February 2, 2024.
