Court acquits ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji of money laundering

A  Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has acquitted the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, of a 54-count money laundering charge.

The court discharged and acquitted Ikuforiji of alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

The former Speaker was discharged alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

Presiding judge Justice Mohammed Liman held that the prosecution failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on it by the provisions of the law.

Ikuforiji was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Atoyebi on a 54-counts charge bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.

Prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.

Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos Sivision and the case suffered several setbacks.

On May 4, 2023, defence counsel Dele Adesina (SAN) opened the case for the defence.

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The defence called three witnesses, including the first defendant (Ikuforiji).

Among others, Ikuforiji testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

The former Speaker told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he stole about N7 billion from the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Parties adopted their final addresses on May 17, while the court reserved judgement.

Justice Liman first struck out count one of the charge, on grounds of discrepancies in the timeline.

The judge later asked a pertinent question as to what was the substantive law at the time the defendant was charged.

The EFCC accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the Lagos Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said the defendants committed the offence between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the anti-graft agency, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.

The Star