Justice R.A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has admitted a crucial video confession in the ongoing trial of seven defendants accused of a £1 million fraud. The court’s decision, which overruled an objection raised by the defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, SAN, allowed the use of a flash drive containing a recorded confession by the sixth defendant as evidence.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced this development on X (formerly Twitter), sharing details of the court’s decision to accept the evidence despite objections from the defence. The EFCC emphasised the importance of the video, which purportedly shows the sixth defendant admitting involvement in defrauding Dr. and Dr. (Mrs.) Lateef Oladimeji Bello.
“The case dates back to February 3, 2022, when the EFCC initially arraigned Morufu Adewale (a.k.a. Gbegunleri Adelana), Abayomi Alaka (a.k.a. Dauda Usman Alashe), Omitogun Ajayi, Ajisegiri Abiodun, and three other defendants—Taiwo Ahmed, Raufu Raheem, and Sanlabiu Teslim—who were earlier listed as being at large. The charges include obtaining money by false pretence, a violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, as well as conspiracy to commit the same under Lagos State law”, the report stated.
The defendants are accused of defrauding the Bello family of £1 million between May and July 2018, under the pretext of conducting spiritual prayers for family cleansing, with an unfulfilled promise of refunding the money. They also allegedly collected N175 million from the same family between August and September 2018 under similar false pretences. All seven defendants have pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
However, the trial faced delays and was reassigned to Justice Oshodi following the retirement of Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo. On September 23, 2024, the prosecution, led by N.K. Ukoha, sought to introduce the flash drive containing the video confession. Assistant Superintendent of Police Giwa Wasiu testified that the recording showed the sixth defendant admitting to a significant portion of the alleged fraud, which amounted to N675 million.
The defence objected to the inclusion of the flash drive as evidence, but the court ultimately sided with the prosecution on October 11, 2024, admitting the video as Exhibit E. Following this decision, the prosecution was allowed to play the video in open court, marking a pivotal moment in the trial.
“The case has been adjourned until December 18 and 19, 2024, for continuation of the trial”, the report concluded.
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