Stephen Oshinowo, the former Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Scholarship Board, says he was duped into signing a statement admitting to stealing N127 million from the Board while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Oshinowo disclosed this on Thursday, April 1, 2021, in a revelation while testifying in an Ikeja Special Offences Court during a trial-within-trial to decide whether he voluntarily gave his statement to the EFCC.
He is charged with eight counts of fraudulent transfer of N127 million belonging to the Board of Directors.
The defendant recounted how his statement admitting to the fraud was collected during his detention at the anti-graft agency, led in evidence by defence counsel, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN.
He said that while he was in EFCC custody, he was confronted by Mr Rasak Adebayo, a state attorney.
Adebayo allegedly asked Oshinowo to cooperate with the investigation and settle the matter amicably rather than going to court for a trial, according to Oshinowo.
He clarified that he received an offer from the state counsel to return N30 million in exchange for his freedom.
The defendant argued that the bid, as well as the fact that his health was declining while he was in EFCC custody, caused him to amend his previous statement and write a statement admitting to the alleged crimes.
“On November 29, 2019, Adebayo approached me and told me that my family had contacted him and asked him to interfere in my case. He urged me to cooperate with the EFCC in order to be released.
”Adebayo told me that he had spoken with the EFCC and that they had reached an agreement. He pushed me to comply at all times.
“After that, I was forced to write another statement in which the EFCC operatives guided me on what to write down,” Oshinowo said.
When Pedro asked how he found out Adebayo was a state counsel, Oshinowo said he discovered it when he got an invitation from the EFCC for an arraignment.
“An EFCC officer called me on the phone and said their boss would like to see me, which I agreed, and when I arrived at their office, I was told that I would be arraigned in court on the allegations.
“This development prompted me to contact Adebayo to learn the reason for the EFCC’s decision to terminate our agreement.
“I ordered him to come to court with me to fix all of the problems he had developed for me.
“It was then that Adebayo told me that as a state lawyer, he couldn’t defend me in court.
“When I heard his admission, I realized I had been tricked into confessing to a crime I had no knowledge of,” he said.
Mr Usman Buhari, the EFCC prosecution counsel, asked the defendant if he had checked Adebayo’s identity with his family before serving as his legal representative at the EFCC.
Since he was in prison, Oshinowo said he didn’t contact his family.
“Did you ever question your family members about engaging the services of Adebayo upon your release from EFCC custody?” Buhari continued.
The defendant replied with a resounding “no.”
When asked by the EFCC lawyer whether he had filed charges or a petition with the state against Adebayo for his alleged wrongdoing, the former Scholarship Board boss said no.
When challenged by the EFCC with documentary evidence that his daughter was a recipient of the Lagos State Scholarship Scheme, he claimed that the selection process was based on merit rather than power.
The case was adjourned until April 28 for the adoption of written addresses and a verdict on the trial-within-trial.
