An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 40 year old Adedeji Ogunleye to five years imprisonment with hard labour.
The convict was arraigned before Magistrate Olatomiwa Daramola on two count charge of stealing and fraud on 9th January, 2023.
The charge reads that Adedeji Ogunleye within the interval of 2019-2022 at ABUAD Bookshop of Km. 8.5 Afe Babalola Way, Ado Ekiti in the Ado Ekiti Magisterial District did steal and fraudulently obtain the sum of N17.5M being the money accrued from sales of books at the bookshop property of ABUAD and converted it to personal use.
The offences contravened Section 302 and 329 (3) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
In his testimony before the court, one of the Auditors who testified before the court said, Adedeji Ogunleye was employed in year 2019, towards the end of June 2022, we came on invitation to audit him, during the process, the team discovered shap practices in his transactions and records, in addition, the money in bank and books in stock did not commeasurate. He was issued query and later handed over to the police for further investigation and his eventual arraignment, he concluded.
To proof his case, the Prosecutor, Inspector Elijah Adejare called four witnesses and tendered Auditors statement, Auditors Report, Bookshop Receipt, ABUAD Bin Card among others as exhibits. The convict who was granted bail at arraignment jumped the bail, while all efforts made to proof his innocence before the court proved abortive.
In his judgment, Magistrate Olatomiwa Daramola said ‘’ this court is fortified with the decision in the case of Maina Vs Federal Republic of Nigeria (2022) LPELR-58942 (CA) to deliver this judgment in the absence of the defendant’’.
He said, I find the defendant guilty and I convict him accordingly, the convict is hereby sentence to 5 years imprisonment with hard labour or an option of restitution in the sum of N17, 466, 692.46 in favour of ABUAD Bookshop being the amount this court found to have been stolen by the defendant in lieu of imprisonment.
All security agencies are hereby put on alert to apprehend the fugitive wherever and whenever sighted to serve his term of imprisonment.