Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
ADO-EKITI, Nigeria – The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned a self‑styled native doctor, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo, and his wife, Awolegan Omolola Omotola, before a Federal High Court in Ado‑Ekiti for allegedly obtaining over N1.09 billion under false pretences in a contract scam that also implicated the acquisition of two choice properties in the city. The couple pleaded not guilty to a six‑count charge and have been remanded in the EFCC holding facility pending the hearing of their bail application.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Abubakar Usman of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado‑Ekiti. The charges border on obtaining money by false pretence and retention of proceeds of crime, contrary to Section 17(a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, and the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The case began when a widow, Mrs. Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, a proprietor of a private school in Delta State, petitioned the EFCC. She alleged that the first defendant, Taiwo, approached her to finance a road construction contract that he claimed had been awarded to him by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC). Trusting the representation, the petitioner reportedly paid a total sum of N1,980,000,000 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Eighty Million Naira) into Taiwo’s Access Bank account.
Investigation by the EFCC revealed that from that amount, a sum of N1,098,961,500 (One Billion, Ninety‑Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty‑One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) was fraudulently obtained and diverted. The commission further traced the proceeds to the acquisition of two properties in Ado‑Ekiti: Town Tavern Lounge, located at No. 1, Ikere Road, off Florence Court School; and a four‑bedroom bungalow situated on Florence Court, Irewolede Estate, Ado‑Ekiti. The EFCC had, on Monday, May 25, 2026, secured the interim attachment of both properties.
Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo and Awolegan Omolola Omotola, sometime between January 2024 and November 2025, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1,098,961,500.00 from one Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, which was paid to you through Olorunbukunmi Taiwo's account number 0027303340 domiciled with Access Bank Plc, by falsely representing that same would be used to execute a road construction contract awarded to you by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC), a pretence you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
When the six‑count charge was read to them in open court, both defendants pleaded not guilty.
Following their pleas, EFCC counsel, Sesan Ola, prayed the court to fix a date for trial and to order the remand of the defendants. Justice Usman adjourned the matter until Thursday, June 11, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial. The judge also ordered that the defendants be remanded in the EFCC holding facility pending the bail hearing.
The EFCC’s investigation continues, and the commission has stated that it will not relent in its pursuit of individuals who defraud innocent citizens under the guise of phantom contracts. The anti‑graft agency has also urged members of the public to verify the authenticity of any contract award before committing funds, especially when the claims come from individuals without verifiable track records.
As of Tuesday, June 9, no further statements had been issued by the defendants’ legal representatives. The EFCC has said it will present documentary evidence, bank statements, and witness testimony to establish that the DESOPADEC contract never existed and that the funds were diverted for personal enrichment. The interim attachment of the two properties in Ado‑Ekiti remains in place pending the final determination of the case.
For the widow who lost nearly N2 billion to the alleged scam, the arraignment brings a measure of hope that justice may yet be served. But with the defendants pleading not guilty and a lengthy trial expected, the road to recovery of the stolen funds is just beginning.
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