The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dragged the impeached Speaker of the Ogun House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, alongside two others, to the Federal High Court sitting in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the capital of the state,News About Nigeria reports.
The speaker and other principal career officers of the assembly, Dayo Samuel and Adeyemo Adedeji, were arraigned on Monday over alleged misappropriation of public funds running into N2.5 billion.
The EFCC alleged that Oluomo committed this financial fraud while he was the Speaker of the Assembly in 2022.
Oluomo, however, maintained that his removal as Speaker of the House of Assembly was illegal, stating that he has already begun the process of challenging his impeachment, including instituting a suit at the State High Court.
Recall that 18 out of 26 lawmakers impeached the former speaker last week, citing financial misappropriation, gross misconduct, arrogance, poor leadership style, lack of focus and transparency, and pitching members against themselves, among others, as the grounds for the impeachment.
Oluomo, along with the Clerk of the House, Taiwo Adeyemo, and the Director of Finance, Oladayo Samuel, were also arrested in September 2022 by the Crimes Commission for allegedly diverting N2.5 billion belonging to the Assembly.
The EFCC had also accused the Speaker and others of forging receipts and signatures to divert billions of naira from the legislative house.
The presiding judge, Justice Agatha Okeke, however, adjourned the case to February 29 and March 1, after it was discovered that the counsel for the anti-graft agency could not make it to court.
