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By Milcah Tanimu
On October 18, 2023, the Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court issued an order requiring the immediate past deputy governor of Ondo State, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, to appear before the court. This order followed an application for a warrant by the state Commissioner of Police concerning allegations of fraud against Ajayi.
The Commissioner of Police had sought a warrant from the court to compel Ajayi to either appear in court or provide a written statement regarding the allegations against him, as he had reportedly failed to respond to police invitations or provide a statement on the matter.
During the court proceedings on Tuesday, two of Ajayi’s aides, Mr. Sam Ogunnusi and Akintoye Olatunji, were arraigned by the police in connection with a car that Ajayi allegedly collected in 2018 from a vehicle dealer named Segun Adetuwo. The charges brought against them included fraud-related offenses.
Ogunnusi was said to have been instructed by his boss, Ajayi, to collect the car from Adetuwo’s automart in Akure, the state capital, in 2018.
The charges stated that the defendants had conspired to commit felony by obtaining a vehicle through false pretenses and stealing. It was further alleged that they had fraudulently converted the vehicle for their own use.
The police prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo, informed the court that Ajayi had not responded to the police’s invitation to provide his side of the story.
Legal counsel for the first respondent, Omolegbon Odunsola, reported efforts to resolve the matter outside of court through discussions with both Ajayi and the applicant, Segun Adetuwo.
However, the applicant’s counsel, Alex Olademehin, argued that Ajayi should either present his written statement at the police station or appear in court in person to provide his perspective on the incident.
In the ruling, Magistrate Mr. Taiwo Lebi ordered that Ajayi or his statement be produced in court on the next adjournment date. The hearing was adjourned to November 24, 2023. This development follows an ongoing legal process related to the alleged fraud involving the former deputy governor.