An Osogbo, Osun State Magistrate’s court on Wednesday remanded a former local government councillor in the state, Hon. Kareem Taofeek Olanrewaju, in police custody for allegedly stealing 500 pieces of ankara clothing material in his failed bid to host Governor Rauf Aregbesola during an event he organised while still serving in 2014.
The 36-year-old ex-councillor, who represented Ward 6 in Egbedore Local Government Area of the state, was said to have bought 500 pieces of the ankara material from a trader, Oyeyemi Oyenike, on credit, promising to offset the debt at the end of the programme.
Our correspondent gathered from a reliable source that Olanrewaju had banked on the largesse Governor Aregbesola would dole out, if he had attended the programme, to settle the payment for the ankara clothes.
Olanrewaju, a member of the All Progressives Congress in the state was said to have also distributed the ankara material amongst his supporters to be worn by them for the programme.
But unfortunately for the ex-councillor, Governor Aregbesola did not attend the programme, dashing his hope of getting the money to pay his debt.
When he was dragged before Magistrate Fatimoh Sodamade by the police, Olanrewaju was slammed with a three-count charge bearing on fraud and stealing.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Taiwo Adegoke, told the court that the accused person committed the offence in November, 2014, in Ede and Osogbo towns.
Adegoke said the ex-councillor fraudulently obtained 500 pieces of the ankara worth N500,000 from one Oyeyemi Oyenike with the intention of paying her back but failed to redeem his pledge.
The prosecution further told the court that Olanrewaju issued a dud cheque to the complainant drawn on a bank account in which he knew he had no sufficient funds.
The police said the accused person stole the ankara valued at half a million Naira.
The charge sheet obtained by our correspondent partly reads, “That you, Kareem Taofeek Olanrewaju, sometimes in the month of November, 2014 at Ede in the Ede Magisterial District did receive 500 pieces of Ankara materials valued at N500,000 from Oyeyemi Oyenike Serifat with the pretence that you will pay her in the next few days without delay, knowing same to be false.”
“The you (accused) on the same date, time and place at the aforementioned Magisterial District did steal 500 pieces of ankara materials valued at N500,000 from Oyeyemi Oyenike Serifat.”
The prosecution argued that the offences committed contravened Sections 1(1)(1)of the Dishonoured Cheques Act D 11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and sections 419 and 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 vol.II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.
But the accused person pleaded not guilty of the three-count charge.
Counsel to the accused person, Mr. Adegoke Ogunsola, applied for the bail of his client, saying he had been granted police bail two times and had not abused the privilege.
He prayed the court to make the bail liberal.
But Magistrate Sodamade ordered that Olanrewaju be remanded in police custody and adjourned the matter to August 11, 2016 for ruling on his bail application.
