Osun Judiciary crisis: CJ Adepele Ojo didn’t divert funds, Osun govt desperately mischievous, says Independent report

Facts have emerged through thorough and extensive investigation on how the Osun State Government deliberately fabricated the allegation of diversion of funds leveled against the Chief Judge Adepele Ojo, for the purpose of painting her black before the public.

Recall that the government through a press release has accused the Chief Judge of diverting different categories of funds, including the sum of seven million, four hundred and eighty-six thousand, three hundred naira being the recovered money from suspects of Ikirun bank robbery in 2019.

However, recent facts have confirmed allegation of diversion of all kinds of funds against the CJ as mere tissues of lies, baseless and satanic imagination of the Ademola Adeleke-led government to defame her Lordship as a justification for illegal replacement and imposition of a stooge to manipulate the Judiciary in the State.

For instance, in the case of the money recovered from the Ikirun bank robbery suspects, the money, according to the bank teller of the transaction, was judiciously lodged into the First Bank account of Ikirun High Court on Tuesday, 18th January, 2022, by Adesola Rafiat Amope Tobiloba, the Registrar of the High Court in Ikirun, who was accompanied by the pay mistress of the court (Bank Teller attached), contrary to the malicious claim by the Osun State Government and its agents.

The lodgement became necessary following the order of Ikirun High Court dated 13th November, 2019, in the suit No: HIK/8C/2016. The State vs Nuhu Jimoh, Ndubisi David, Aderibigbe Oluwaseun, the order stated that the money be kept until final judgment would be given, the court also directed that the money should be intact in terms of denominations and wrappers.

Meanwhile, the final judgment was delivered on the 30th January,2020, in which the court ordered that the money be forfeited into the account of Government. However, the lockdown of those days as a result of COVID-19 pandemic practically made access to bank impossible for the period of almost 4 months.

Subsequently, by the time partial activities resumed at both High Court and Banks, appeal had been lodged by one of the convicts, who is the 3rd accused in the case, Aderibigbe Oluwaseun, with Appeal No CA/233C/2020.

This development necessitated the need to keep the money pending the determination of the appeal. However, for the purpose of safekeeping and in the face of several monetary policies of the CBN, the money was paid into High Court Special Deposit Account, which is meant for special monetary Exhibit and untouchable.

Understandably, the money has not yet been paid into the government’s account since the appeal has not been concluded, and the money remains intact in the bank.

Further checks revealed that all other allegations against the Chief Judge followed the same pattern, as there was no single evidence to substantiate any of the allegations against Mrs. Adepele Ojo by the government in Osun, other than the desperation to remove her through the back door and hold Judiciary in the State by the jugular for political considerations.