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ODHA debunks alleged N2.4m fraud

By Josephine Oguntoyinbo

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Ondo State House of Assembly has cleared the air on the news making the rounds on the issue of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC and alleged fraud in the Assembly.
The House posited that there is no missing fund of 2.4 million naira as being circulated by the media.
Making clarification on the issue at a press briefing with Journalists at the conference room of the assembly, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Youths and Sports’ Development, Mr Olugbenga Omole said that fact finding is key to accurate reporting.
He debunked reports that two civil servants, Olusegun Kayode Oyadeyi and O.J Afolabi were detained, emphasising that it is far from the truth.”Infact,one of them who is a Former Director Expenditure is one of the new Permanent Secretaries ,he is in his office as I am talking to you”
According to him, only a lawmmaker, Mr Bankole Felemu-Gudu and the Clerk of the House, Mr Bode Adeyelu were with the EFCC for interrogation as at Monday.
Omole stated that there was actually an issue in the house from a petition written to the EFCC by one of the lawmakers who is a Former Deputy Speaker, Mr Iroju Ogundeji over a supposed seminar billed for December, 2019 but was not attended due to the huge difference at the time the fund was released.
The Chairman noted that the money meant for the seminar, the sum of 2.4 million naira was not accessed until May last year and had since been deposited in the coffers of the Assembly.
He informed that though the lawmaker, Felemu-Gudu and the Clerk, Adeyelu ,were invited by the EFCC since last week Thursday for interrogation they could not met bail conditions over the weekend.
Omole noted that they would be released and return to the State any moment from now.
“I want to tell you that they are not the first set of people to be invited, some civil servants have been invited earlier on the issue and have since returned to the State”.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information who noted that he is ready to avail journalists of facts about any issue in the house implored the media to always verify issues before reporting them.
In a swift reaction, the Former Deputy Speaker, Iroju Ogundeji said he wrote the petition based on fact findings where he stumbled on a voucher with his name written that he attended a seminar in Lagos.
“I was not informed about the seminar and I immediately did the photocopy of the voucher which I reported to some members of the house on the purported seminar. I frowned at using my name on what I was not informed about and they promised to wade into the matter then .I don’t want to answer query on any fund I do not know of after leaving office. All this happened before my purported impeachment,” he added.

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