Benjamin Ogunbodede, a professor and former director of Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, has said that he gave N50 million to some members of the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the embattled former director is standing trial before a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan over alleged N177 million hazard allowance fraud.<\/p>\n
Testifying before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, Mr. Ogunbodede named one Gbenga Makanjuola, the then house committee chairman on agriculture, as one of the recipients of the N50 million gratifications.<\/p>\n
Mr. Makanjuola could not be immediately reached.<\/p>\n
The former director, standing trial with two others, however, refused to mention names of other members of the committee, Senate members and officials of the Ministry of Finance who received the N50 million gratifications.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ogunbodede stated that the sum served as a thank you gesture to the NASS members and others who facilitated the quick release of N606 million, which was the school\u2019s grant from the Federal Government.<\/p>\n
\u201cMakanjuola was one of the House of Representative members from the South-West on the committee who was paid the gratification,\u201d the ex-director said.<\/p>\n
He further confessed that the school did not actually raise fund from philanthropists contrary to his earlier testimony in court.<\/p>\n
Tendering the earlier statement which Mr. Ogunbodede had made before the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to EFCC, contended that the witness lied when he told the court that he raised money from the friends to execute some projects in the school.<\/p>\n
The court also admitted in evidence many documents by various panels of inquiry that had indicted Mr. Ogunbodede.<\/p>\n
However, Tunde Olupona, the defense counsel, opposed some of the submissions made by the prosecution.<\/p>\n
Justice Ayo-Emmanuel adjourned the matter till April 7 for continuation of trial.<\/p>\n
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr. Ogunbodede, Zachius Tejumola and Clement Adenose have since 2014 been standing trial on multiple charges bordering conspiracy, forgery, conversion and stealing N177,571,609 million.<\/p>\n
The amount was meant to pay hazard allowances of workers of the institution.<\/p>\n
NAN reports that one other accused and his nine companies, earlier arraigned with Mr. Ogunbodede, in 2016 entered into a plea bargain and were indicted and consequently convicted.<\/p>\n
The fourth accused, Jalekun Omitowoju, a contractor, and his companies, were allegedly conduits through which the former director embezzled the money. (NAN)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source-Premium Times<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Benjamin Ogunbodede, a professor and former director of Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, has said that he gave N50 million to some members of the National Assembly. The News…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":11946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,196],"tags":[886,4397,169],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/House-of-reps-2.jpg?fit=800%2C451&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42362,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/two-fraudsters-lands-in-court-for-attempting-to-dupe-akinwunmi-ambode-of-n50-million\/","url_meta":{"origin":11945,"position":0},"title":"Two fraudsters lands in court for attempting to dupe Akinwunmi Ambode of N50 million","author":"Reporter","date":"January 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lagos state government today arraigned two young men, Rilwanu Jamiu and Balogun Oyewole, before Justice Sedoten Ogunsanya of the Lagos High Court, Igbosere for attempting to dupe the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to the tune of N50 million. \u00a0 The alleged fraudsters are being prosecuted on a three-count charge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ambode-new-1.png?fit=585%2C397&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ambode-new-1.png?fit=585%2C397&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ambode-new-1.png?fit=585%2C397&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":121290,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/oau-to-commence-own-electricity-generation-by-october-vc-eyitope-ogunbodede\/","url_meta":{"origin":11945,"position":1},"title":"OAU To Commence Own Electricity Generation By October – VC Eyitope Ogunbodede","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"July 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The vice-chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun state, Eyitope Ogunbodede, says the institution will exit the national grid by October to generate its own electricity. Speaking on Monday at a biennial conference of the African Institute for Science Policy and Innovation (AISPI), Ogunbodede said the Rural Electrification Agency\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"OAU, Power Generation, VC, Prof Eyitayo Ogunbodede,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/OAU.png?fit=400%2C217&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50470,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/court-grants-jonah-jang-bail\/","url_meta":{"origin":11945,"position":2},"title":"Court grants Jonah Jang bail","author":"Igbokwe John","date":"May 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A High Court sitting in Jos, the Plateau State capital, has granted bail to the former governor of the state, Jonah Jang. Jang is standing trial for alleged corruption during his tenure in office. During Thursday\u2019s sitting, the ruling judge, Justice Daniel Longji, granted the former Governor on the following\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Gov-Jang-pictures.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Gov-Jang-pictures.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Gov-Jang-pictures.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54222,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/blackface-says-2face-suing-him-for-n50-million\/","url_meta":{"origin":11945,"position":3},"title":"Blackface Says 2Face Suing Him For N50 Million","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"July 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Long standing Nigerian hiphop act, Blackface says he is being sued for N50m by Innocent \u20182Baba\u2019 Idibia, his former Plantashun Boiz bandmate. 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The deceased was shot for refusing to pay N50 bribe at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Police, Court, Kaduna, El-Rufai,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nigeria-Police.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nigeria-Police.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nigeria-Police.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nigeria-Police.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57901,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/efcc-set-for-trial-of-ex-bank-md-sarakis-aide-over-n3-5b-london-paris-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":11945,"position":5},"title":"EFCC set for trial of ex-bank MD, Saraki\u2019s aide over N3.5b London-Paris Club","author":"Reporter","date":"August 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC) is set for the trial of a former Managing Director of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria( SGBN), Mr. Robert Mbonu and three others for alleged conversion of N3.5billion of N19billion London-Paris Club refund to states. 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