The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 22, 2018 election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was yesterday arraigned by the police in Abuja alongside four others on charges of examination malpractices.
Others who were arraigned before Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja were Sikiru Adeleke; the principal of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Alhaji Aregbesola Muftau; the registrar of the school, Gbadamosi Ojo; and a teacher in the school, Dare Samuel Olutope.
They all pleaded not guilty to the four counts brought against them. Ekwo, however, admitted Adeleke to bail on self-recognizance based on his position as a serving senator.
The judge, however, ordered that he must enter an undertaking that he would always be available in court for his trial. Adeleke was also directed to deposit his passport with the registrar of the court and must not travel out of the country without the permission of the court.
Also granted bail by the court were Sikiru Adeleke and Muftau. They were granted bail in the sum of N2m each with one surety each, who must be a responsible citizen and owner of landed property in Abuja.
Besides, they were ordered by the court to deposit their passports with the court’s registry and not to travel out of the country without the court’s permission.
Ojo and Olutope were, however, remanded in prison custody following the absence of their counsel in court and for not filling their bail applications ahead of the proceedings. All the defendants entered a plea of not guilty to the charges against them.
This was followed by their bail applications which were moved by their respective counsel. Adeleke was represented by Dr. Alex Izinyon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) while Sikiru was represented by Mr. Nathaniel Oke (SAN) and Muftau was represented by Mr. Abdusalami Abdulfatai.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Simon Lough, did not oppose their bail applications. However, Ojo and Olutope, who were represented by Mr. Isaac Adeniyi during the previous proceedings on October 15, were yesterday not represented by any lawyer.
In his ruling, Ekwo noted that the three defendants were entitled to be granted bail as they were presumed innocent and having been granted administrative bail by the police without any complaint of them flouting the bail conditions.
In the charge sheet, Lough accused them of committing the offense of examination malpractices by fraudulently, through impersonation, registering Adeleke and Sikiru Adeleke as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, in Ojo-Aro in Osun State, for the National Examination Council’s June/July 2017 Senior School Certificate Examination in February 2017.
In the first count, the prosecution alleged that the five defendants “conspired to commit a felony, to wit: examination malpractices, and thereby committed an offense contrary to section 10 of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004.”
In count two, the prosecution alleged that the three members of staff of the school acted in concert by aiding and abetting “the commission of examination malpractice by personation” when they allegedly “registered Senator Ademola Adeleke and Sikiru Adeleke” while knowing or having “reasons to believe that they are not students of the school.” The alleged offense was said to be contrary to Section 9(1) of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004.
In count three, the two Adelekes were accused of acting in concert, and “personated as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, when you fraudulently registered as students of the school in the June/July 2017 NECO.” The offense is said to be contrary to Section 3(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act.
The trial has been adjourned to December 17, 18 and 19 at the instance of the prosecution counsel.
