An Ibadan High Court on Thursday granted bail to the former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and two other accused persons – Senator Hosea Agboola and a contractor, Mr. Femi Babalola.
Alao-Akala was arraigned along with Agboola, the Deputy Senate Whip, and Babalola, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Pentagon Engineering Services on an 11 counts of conspiracy, illegal award of contracts, obtaining by false pretence, acquiring property with money derived from illegal act and concealing the ownership of the said property.
Agboola was the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs during the Alao-Akala administration until he was elected a Senator in April. Babalola was the contractor in charge of the road contracts executed in the 33 local governments of the state during the period.
The trial judge, Justice Moshood Abass, in his ruling, granted bail to the three accused persons in the sum of N1.1bn with five sureties in the like sum.
Alao-Akala was granted bail in the sum of N500m with two sureties who must depose to an affidavit of means and landed property in the Government Reservation Area of Ibadan, while Agboola was granted bail in the sum of N300m with one surety who must own a landed property in the GRA and an affidavit of means.
Babalola was also granted bail in the sum of N300m and two sureties with landed property in the GRA and on the grounds of the deposition of an affidavit of means.
The trial judge, in granting the bail to the accused persons, stated that the offence for which they were charged was bailable in asmuch as the offence they committed was not a capital offence and since the accused persons voluntarily gave themselves to the EFCC for arrest, interrogation and detention.
Courtesy: The Punch (Nigeria).