A Magistrate Court in Lagos State has granted bail to Ganiyu Olamiji Oyebanjo, the Special Adviser, Boundary Matters, Kosofe Local Government.
SaharaReporters had reported how Oyebanjo was arrested by the Nigerian police for allegedly embarrassing and writing a petition against Moyosore Adedoyin Ogunlewe, the chairman of the council.
He was picked up by policemen from Zone 2 in Lagos on the order of the council boss around 9 pm on Tuesday.
The police on Thursday arraigned him before the court on the allegation of theft and having classified documents.
At the court session, Chief Magistrate Olanrewaju Olatunji granted Oyebanjo N5 million bail with two sureties.
One of the sureties must provide a C of O certificate while the other must have at least N5 million in his account.
“Before his arraignment today, he was taken home by the police for house search,” a source said.
Oyebanjo had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged misappropriation of billions of naira by Ogunlewe and some supervisors in the council.
After the petition, the council boss and other officials were invited and grilled for several hours at ICPC office located at 10, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Oyebanjo while speaking to SaharaReporters on Monday alleged the officials were involved in corruption, embezzlement, and contract inflation running into billions of naira.
“Yes, their invitation and subsequent interrogation for hours followed a petition I submitted to the anti-corruption agency on October 23, 2024 with copies of classified documents of the local government in my possession.
“I had in a petition titled: “PETITION AGAINST BARR. MOYOSORE ADEDOYIN OGUNLEWE, THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, KOSOFE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (AKA) THE WHITE LION AND OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENT CO TRAVELLERS OVER CORRUPTION, CRIMINAL BREACH OF TRUST, UNLAWFUL ENRICHMENT, INFLATION OF CONTRACTS, MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS, FORGERY, MANIPULATION, DISTORTION AND DOCTORING OF EXCO MINUTES, AND THREAT TO LIFE”, levelled allegation against the executive chairman of Kosofe Local Government for awarding contracts without following due process, illegal self-enrichment and acquiring multiple properties few years after becoming the chairman of the council.
“I urged the anti-graft Commission to demand from the Code of Conduct Bureau the Assets Declaration Forms, which the Chairman filled out before he became the Council Chairman and the Assets he has presently acquired.
“And as part of its investigation, the ICPC invited me to its Lagos office on February 25, 2025 where I was interrogated, wrote a statement and provided additional information.
“Two days after my visit to the ICPC Lagos office, Moyosore Ogunlewe and the Secretary to the Local Government, Fatai Gbadebo, were invited and quizzed by the ICPC over the corruption allegations.
“While I want to believe that the ICPC has not concluded its investigation into the allegation of corruption I levelled against the council chairman, the members of executive committee who to the best of knowledge had been invited by the ICPC to appear before it have, however, not honoured the invitation and are yet to be interrogated.
“The executive members are key witnesses in the malfeasance perpetrated by the council chairman and their interrogation by the ICPC will go a long away in giving it a clearer picture of the allegation.
“I, however, reliably gathered that the executive chairman, after returning from the ICPC office in Lagos, has been making frantic efforts to block the invitation of the executive members and council’s staff and also promised to give each of them a huge amount of money to give false accounts.”
