Ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji Cleared Of N300 Million Money Laundering Charges

Adeyemi Ikuforiji, the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has been acquitted and discharged of a N338.8 million money laundering charge by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the court on Monday also discharged Oyebode Atoyebi, a personal assistant to Ikuforiji, who was arraigned alongside the former speaker.

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According to The Cable, the former speaker and his aide were arraigned on a 54-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused the Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of allegedly accepting cash payments of N338.8 million from the house of assembly without going through a financial institution.

Ikuforiji served as the speaker of Lagos state assembly from 2005 to 2015.

Monday’s judgment marks the conclusion of a decade-long legal battle.

The Backdrop

In March 2012,  the former speaker and his aide, Atoyebi were initially arraigned before Judge Okechukwu Okeke at the Federal High Court on a 20-count charge of misappropriation and money laundering.

File Image of Ex-Lagos Speaker Hon Sabith Adeyemi Ikuforiji

Both defendants pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

Following a reassignment, they were re-arraigned before Judge Ibrahim Buba, who granted them bail set at N500 million each, with sureties in the same amount.

On September 26, 2014, Judge Buba discharged Ikuforiji and Atoyebi, upholding their no-case submission.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), dissatisfied with this decision, appealed to the Court of Appeal.

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In November 2016, the appellate court ruled that the money laundering trial should continue. The defendants then took the matter to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision, ordering the case to be reassigned by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. Consequently, the trial resumed at the Federal High Court.

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