The
police in Ekiti State yesterday arraigned three men- Temitope Bamidele, Sunday
Afolabi and Shuaibu Amidu- at the Magistrates’ Court in Ado-Ekiti, the
state capital, for alleged stealing.
Bamidele
and Afolabi are domestic aides of Governor Ayo Fayose.
The
men were arraigned for the alleged theft of $50,000 purportedly belonging to
Fayose’s personal assistant Sunday Omosilade.
The
theft reportedly took place in the Government House on December 29.
In
a two-count charge of stealing and conspiracy, the police said on December
29, Bamidele and Afolabi conspired to steal $50,000 in the Government
House “belonging to Omosilade”.
In
the second count, Amidu, a street foreign exchange operator, was charged as “an
accessory when you changed $20,000 stolen money to naira for Afolabi”.
The
accused pleaded not guilty. Their counsel, Busuyi Ayorinde, applied for bail
but the court told him to formalise his application.
The
Chief Magistrate, Adesoji Adegboye, ordered the trio to be remanded in
prison custody till Monday, when their bail application will be heard.
Unconfirmed
reports also said a woman suspected to have links with a senior Government
House official allegedly stole N75 million from the Government House.
The
allegation has been denied by the governor’s Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.
Olayinka
accused All Progressives Congress (APC) members of fabricating the story to
discredit the governor.
A
source said: “Despite denials by government officials that the mistress did not
steal N75million, we can tell you that some domestic staff in the Government
House, including a steward, cook and gardener, are in police custody.
“The
governor’s personal assistant on Domestic Matters, Sunday Omosilade, was
demoted over the matter.
“The
Afao-born PA narrowly escaped being sacked. He was redeployed to the office of
the wife of the governor as a lesser officer.
“With
this, more facts have emerged about the stolen N75 million. The money was
actually in British Pound Sterling.
“The
total amount was £1,100,000. Of this amount, £150,000 equivalent of N90 million
was stolen by the woman together with a steward,cook and gardener.
“Of
this amount, the woman made away with £125,000 equivalent of N75 million,
leaving the balance of £25,000 for the steward, gardener and others to share
amounting to N15,000,000.
“It
was part of this £25,000 that was later found, hidden in a flower bed in the
garden of the chalet where she stayed.
“It
was the steward who was caught at a bureau de change where he was trying to
change his own share to naira.
“When
he was nabbed, the steward took security operatives to where the balance was
kept.
“He
also mentioned all those involved in the deal who are in police custody.
“The
young lady in question has reportedly relocated.”
“The
senior Government House official ordered her house and those of her parents to
be vandalised by thugs.
“The
poor parents said they don’t know the whereabouts of their daughter and that
the last they heard about her through her friends was that she had relocated
outside the country.”
Source:Nation
Tags
Politics