Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, dismissed the application against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), by former General Manager, Kwara State Television Authority, Alhaji Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale, seeking the court to compel the Commission to produce the reports of the sale of Kwara State government’s properties from 1999, till date.
Justice Oyinloye in quashing the application said he sympathised with the applicant but added that the law is not about sympathy. He stated that the application lacked merit and dismissed it, accordingly.
“The need for the applicant to prove to this honourable Court that the reports about the sale of Kwara State Government Properties from 1999, till date was in the custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is very high. The appropriate authority to apply for this document is the Kwara State Government, who set up the panel to investigate the sale of Kwara State Government’s properties”, he stated.
“What the applicant asked for is forbidden, it’s in serious violation with the provisions of the evidence acts, the prosecution has demonstrated that all the needed documents in this case have been attached to the charge and this position has not been challenged by the applicant”.
The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Commission had on November 6, 2019, arraigned Adebowale before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye on a six count- charge, bordering on land fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
Count three of the charge states: “That you, Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale being a public officer, as the General Manager of Kwara State Television Authority, sometime between May and June 2015 in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, used your office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself, when you received a cash deposit of the sum of N2,350,000 (Two Million Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira)through your Stanbic Ibtc Bank account number 0007306612 from Sulyman Abdulkareem being proceeds from the sale of land allocated to staff of Kwara State Television and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
Justice Oyinloye after dismissing the application adjourned till March 4, 2020, for continuation of trial.
