The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
In view of their plea, prosecution counsel, Festus Ojo prayed the court for a trial date and to remand the defendants in prison custody. The defense counsel however approached the court with a formal application for bail which the prosecution counsel opposed to on the grounds that he was served the application in court and needed time to formally respond.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Professor Anthony Elujoba and Josephine Aderonke Akeredolu whilst being Public Officers of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Osun State between the month of August and September 2016 at Ile-Ife within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired to distribute the sum of N1,060,725,000.00k (One Billion, Sixty Million and Seven Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira) to your colleagues as productivity bonus.
The defendants were arraigned following a petition alleging that Mr Elujoba, alongside the bursar, diverted over N1billion from the university’s Fixed Assets and Endowment Fund without approval from the Federal Ministry of Education and Governing Council of the University to pay some unapproved allowances, from which he received N7m as furniture allowance.
Justice Oladimeji adjourned the case to 11 July for hearing of the bail applications and remands the defendants in the EFCC custody.
