Court revokes bail of former police officer over N1.3bn fraud case

Justice Sherifat Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has revoked the bail of Ifeoma Okpalugo, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, and three others, who are being prosecuted for an alleged act of felony and stealing to the tune of N1, 301, 334, 108 (One Billion, Three Hundred and One Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-four Thousand, One Hundred and Eight Naira). Okpalugo is facing trial alongside Olumide Odumosu, Suleiman Yusuf Tegina and Helen Nwafor.

The suspects were charged alongside Yus Investment Nigeria Limited and Olivia Osmond Nigeria Limited for allegedly diverting the sum of N1, 301, 334, 108 belonging to the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, to their personal use. They pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

Counsel to the defendants, O. A. Osinfowora, had applied for bail on behalf of his clients when they were arraigned on November 7, 2018. The Judge had adjourned to Wednesday, November 20, 21 and 22, 2018 for ruling on the bail application filed by the defendants through their counsel. However, the proceedings could not go on as scheduled.

The Judge therefore, fixed Thursday, November 22, 2018 for ruling on the bail applications and commencement of trial but when the matter was called, a lawyer, Ige Asemudara, announced his appearance for all the defendants. He also prayed for an adjournment to enable him to go through all the documents. Consequently, in her ruling, the Judge revoked the bail earlier granted the defendants.

The Judge held that: 

"I hereby revoke the applications for bail filed by Mr. O. A. Osinfowora. This is due to the fact that the new counsel, Asemudara, has said that Osinfowora was not of their choice."