EFCC vs Fayose:Prosecuting’s Wife Witness Raises Alarm Over Her Missing Husband

Emmanuel AmudaMay 11, 2019

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Wife of Mr. Aladegbola Adewale Clement, a prosecuting witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against former Governor Ayo Fayose, Mrs. Olajumoke Aladegbola, on Friday evening raised the alarm that she couldn’t reach her husband since 9 am on Friday morning, describing the development as unusual and worrisome.

Aladegbola, the prosecution witness in the trial of Mr Fayose on Friday caused a stir in the court when contrary to his earlier extra-judicial statement to the EFCC, told the court on that he did not move cash from Afao, Ekiti, Fayose’s hometown on the June 16, 2014 and that the two vehicles he used to drive while working for Zenith Bank were grounded on that day.

The witness is a former driver of Zenith Bank Ado-Ekiti branch who was supposed to be the second prosecution witness for the day, told Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, that he got to know about Afao, Ekiti sometime in 2014 when the head of cash payment section of the bank told him that there was something to be done in Afao, Ekiti and that when he asked him what that thing was, he said it was unofficial.

Aladegbola said he was told to lie by the bank cash officer, Okemute Oputu. He said that on April 16, 2015, the Zenith Bank bullion van was grounded and there were no operations.

Obviously shocked at this point, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that he would be asking for adjournment as the witness seemed to be hostile.

Speaking to our correspondent, on Friday evening in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, Mrs. Aladegbola said she got an unconfirmed report from her husband’s friends and relatives that he might have been arrested by the authorities.

Crying profusely, she appealed to the authorities to help release her husband, saying: “I have not seen my husband since Tuesday when he left Ado Ekiti to attend to the EFCC vs Fayose matter. And since 9am this morning, I have not been able to reach him on phone. This is very unusual as he normally returns from Abuja same day or at most, he would return the next day but this time, it has been three days he hasn’t returned.

Relatives and friends have been calling me to ask about his whereabouts and some are saying that he might have been arrested by the security operatives.

“I appeal to the relevant authorities to please release my husband. He is the only one we have, I and our three kids. He has no parents any longer and both of us are orphans, no one can take care of us except him. I plead with the government to please release him to us,” she said.