Trial of a retired army captain, Prince Adeniran Owen Alao, and four others, continued on Friday before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court, in Ikeja, Lagos.
The judge adjourned till April 29, 2022 for cross-examination of the documents tendered before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, against the retired army captain who is also the Baale of Megida Town, Ayobo, Ipaja, Lagos, and co-defendants in their alledged involvement in a land fraud of 101 acres belonging to the Federal Government.
Also, he is standing trial alongside, Kolusade Oluwafemi, Quadri Lookman and Atinuse Albert, Owerser Nigeria Limited, on a four-count charge bordering on stealing, offering gratification to a public official, corruption and abuse of office.
At the proceeding, the prosecution through its first witness, Mr. Daniel Danladi, an investigator and forensic expert with EFCC sought to tender in evidence a Compact Disc (CD) containing information, analysis and extractions from the first defendant’s two phones.
During his evidence, Mr. Danladi noted that there were inflows from account of first defendant to influence the matter in other court.
He told the court that the forensic analysis that was carried out on the phones were extracted and burned into a CD, and some documents were printed out.
“We forensically examined two phones of the first defendant, and text messages, voice calls, and other telephone information were recovered. The extracted information were analysed.
“The second defendant was sending various accounts details to the first defendant.”
“First defendant made payments into account supplied by the second defendant.”
The prosecuting counsel Mr. Ayanfeoluwa Ogunsina, presented the documents before the court and urged the court to admit them in evidence.
The defence counsel, Mr.Opara opposed the admissibility of the documents on the grounds that the proof of evidence tendered were not attached to those earlier served on the defendant.
He said, “Again, we are just becoming aware of the CD.”
“We are just seeing it for the first time.”
The judge queried the prosecution, “Mr. Ogunsina, how come they are just seeing it for the first time, you ought to have frontloaded.
Mr. Ogunsina explained he was going to show the content in court but Mr. Opara countered him, saying, “On the issue of CD, we are just seeing for the first time, the prosecution has not laid foundation for admissibility.
The judge admitted the certified statements from the prosecution but urged that it serve the opposition.
Addressing the court, counsel to one of the parties, Mr. Opara said, “We shall not be objecting to the letter from the Ministry of Communication dated 10 January 2018, statement from Access Bank, Union Bank letter dated 27th February 2018, adding that he was not objecting to statement of account of Quadri Lookman (the fourth defendant) dated 27th February 2018.
He also did not object to statement of Oludare Ezekiel from GTB.
He however opposed the statement of the fourth defendant from Access and Union banks because it wasn’t frontloaded.
The judge held that the prosecution will not be allowed to cross-examine the witness until the document is served on the opposing party.
She however, admitted as exhibits the letter dated 10th January, 2018 from the then Minister of Communication and marked it exhibit M.
She also admitted statement of account of Olufemi Adetoyese of Access Bank dated 26th July, 2018 and marked it exhibit N, statement of account of Sobowale Olatunde and Olusade Adetoyese from Wema Bank and marked it exhibit O, statement of account for Atinuse Albert, was marked exhibit P, statement of account of Quadri Lookman from Union Bank was marked exhibit Q and his other statement of account from Access Bank was marked exhibit R.
Recall that they were arraigned by the EFCC and had denied the charge.
Part of the counts reads: “ That you, Prince Adeniran Owen Alao, Owerser Nigeria Limited, Kolusade Oluwafemi, Quadro Lookman, Atinuse Albert, sometime in 2014, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonesty stole One Hundred and One acres of land at P&T, Ipaja, Akinyele , Lagos, property of the Federal Government.
