The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a self-acclaimed native doctor, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo, and his wife, Awolegan Omolola Omotola, before a Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti over an alleged N1.09 billion contract scam.
The couple were docked by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC on a six-count charge bordering on alleged obtaining by false pretence and retention of proceeds of crime.
The defendants appeared before Justice Abubakar Usman of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, where they pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against them.
According to the anti-graft agency, the case followed a petition submitted by a widow and proprietor of a private school in Delta State, Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, who accused Taiwo of deceiving her into financing a purported road construction contract allegedly awarded by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission.
The EFCC alleged that Taiwo convinced the petitioner to release huge sums of money under the guise of executing the contract, which investigators later discovered to be fraudulent.
The commission stated that investigations revealed that about N1.98 billion was paid into an Access Bank account allegedly linked to Taiwo between January 2024 and November 2025.
Part of the charge read in court alleged that the defendants obtained N1,098,961,500 from the petitioner through false representations that the money would be used to execute the DESOPADEC road contract.
The prosecution maintained that the defendants knew the representation to be false and thereby violated provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The EFCC further told the court that proceeds of the alleged fraud were traced to the acquisition of two properties in Ado-Ekiti.
The properties include Town Tavern Lounge located along Ikere Road, off Florence Court School, Ado-Ekiti, and a four-bedroom bungalow situated within Florence Court, Irewolede Estate, Ado-Ekiti.
The anti-corruption agency disclosed that it had earlier secured an interim attachment order on the two properties on May 25, 2026.
Following the defendants’ not guilty plea, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, urged the court to fix a date for trial and order their remand pending the hearing of their bail applications.
Justice Usman subsequently adjourned the case till June 11, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial.
The judge also ordered that the defendants be remanded in the EFCC custody pending further proceedings.
