POLITICS

EFCC Arrests House Of Reps-Elect, Kolawole For N3b Fraud, Hour After Collecting His Certificate

Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole, the victor of the House of Representatives election held on February 25, 2023 in the Ekiti North Federal Constituency (II), has been apprehended and arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Hours after receiving a Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja, the member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was detained.

Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, gave the certificates to the members-elect on Wednesday at the National Collation Center in Abuja.

Akinlayo was chosen by agents of the anti-graft agency following the incident, according to numerous sources.

He was charged with defrauding Johnson Akinnawonu, an oil tycoon and director of JAAC Nigeria Ltd., of N3 billion.

Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole, the victor of the Ekiti North Federal Constituency II, Moba and Ilejemeje axis election, has been detained by EFCC agents, a source told SaharaReporters.

He was a part of a N3 billion fraud and had been eluding EFCC agents, but two days ago, when he went to pick up his certificate of return in Abuja, he was apprehended by the agents.

“In 2022, Akinlayo intimidated and detained a journalist for disclosing how he defrauded a Mr. Akinnawonu of up to N3 billion. He is now included in the EFCC’s net.

 

Akinlayo and his attorney, Rotimi Olorunfemi, who was at the time the chairman of the Akure branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), were accused of defrauding Port Harcourt oil magnate Akinnawonu and JAAC Nig. Ltd. of N3 billion under the guise of assisting him in buying a property in the Gwarinpa neighborhood of Abuja but ultimately fell short.

Johnson’s attorney, Barr. Adejumola Ajayi, sent a petition to the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 15, 2022, which SaharaReporters was able to obtain “According to “Criminal Conversion and Obtaining of N1.9billion Under False Pretext,” the fraudulent activities took place between 2013 and 2015z.

In part, the petition stated: “That sometime between 2013 and 2015, the team of Messrs. Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole and Rotimi Olorunfemi (a fictitious estate manager and his solicitor) with their office address at Akure made representations to our clients to find them some real estate property in Abuja and Lagos.

“Property tagged Tantaliser building at Aminu Kano Crescent, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent Wuse 11 Abuja.

“Property tagged multiple three (3) storey building of former Federal government guest houses covering about 10,000 Square metres of land at Ahmadu Bello Way in Lagos.

“Property formerly occupied by NEPA at Kings Way Road Lagos on about 4000 square metres of land which sales obtained from our clients amounted to N1,860,000,000 (One billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty Million Naira).

“That within same period Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole obtained an additional sum of N46,000,000 (Forty-Six Million Naira) from our clients to convert their Opebi residential building to commercial building and as well collected rent of N10,400,000 (Ten Million and Four Hundred Thousand Naira) rent from our client’s tenants occupying their property at Plot 176 Herbert Macauley Road without performance and account.”

It was also gathered that Akinnawonu, who doubles as a director in JAAC Nig. Ltd. is now in critical health condition and has been flown to Canada following the shock and trauma he had suffered.

According to information obtained by SaharaReporters, Olorunfemi has since admitted to the crime, while the incoming member of the APC House of Representatives had promised to repay N830,000,000 (eight hundred and thirty million naira) to Akinnawonu before June 30, 2022, in a letter written through his lawyer.

Akinlayo has subsequently avoided arrest by the EFCC and the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCID), Alagbon, Lagos, due to his refusal to uphold the agreement and make the required payments.

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