Former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, yesterday said he went through a harrowing experience for over 12 years in the case of N338. 8 million fraud the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought against him lasted.
Ikuforiji, who said he had been vindicated, said for 12 and a half years, the EFCC wrongfully charged him on 54 counts.
The Federal High Court in Lagos had on Monday acquitted Ikuforiji of a 54-count bordering on money laundering charge levelled against him by the EFCC.
Ikuforiji was charged by the EFCC alongside his former personal assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, with a 54-count charge bordering on laundering N338.8 million.
Narrating his experience after he was acquitted by the court to newsmen in Ikeja, Lagos, the former speaker said he was full of joy and praise to God.
He said,, “I am a very happy man. My joy knows no bounds. It has been almost 48 hours now since the judgement was delivered. I am extremely grateful to God.
“To have gone through this for 12 and half years, it was a harrowing experience. I accept what Allah decreed,” he added, saying, “but there is something as a man in flesh, you ask a second question: God is there, and why will I have to go through this? For 12 years, I was at the House of Assembly, and for 10 years, I was Speaker. There was no time for the lawmakers to fight; the Lagos House was the best because of the harmonious relationship.”
Ikuforiji stated that if after 10 years of being a speaker and leading a progressive House and making progressive laws, such as passing the Freedom of Information Act and others, he was persecuted for 12 and half years for wrongful allegations, it is a very sad situation.
He said, “I suffered unnecessarily for that period; what was my offence, and what did I do? A faceless petitioner wrote that the House arm-twisted the Lagos State government to pay N500 million, and later, I was accused of embezzling N7 billion, which I made away with N500 million for 14 months.”
On how it started, Ikuforiji said he got a call from the director of EFCC while going to Umrah to report at his office, but he told him that he was going to Umrah and that he would honour the invitation on returning from his journey.
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