There is a growing call for the removal of a notorious money launderer, Mr. Dele Oye, from the Nigeria Bar Association’s Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. The current call came from the famed Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana.
There is a growing call for the removal of a notorious money launderer, Mr. Dele Oye, from the Nigeria Bar Association’s Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. The current call came from the famed Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana.
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In a letter sent to the Nigerian Bar Association demanding Mr. Oye’s removal, Mr. Falana warned that Mr. Oye could not be allowed to continue prosecute lawyers charged with felony when he is enmeshed in course of criminal dealings including fraud, money laundry and forgery.
“…I have since discovered that Mr. Dele Oye was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2009 on account of the fraudulent loan of N22 billion taken by him from the defunct Oceanic Bank Plc,” Mr, Falana wrote. “I have also confirmed that Mr. Oye admitted criminality in the plea bargaining and settlement agreement entered by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Mrs. Cecilia Ibru which culminated in the conviction of the latter. In particular, Mrs. Ibru signed the said Agreement on behalf of herself and the Ibru Group of which Mr. Dele Oye was listed as No 20 in the Ibru Group Parties and as No 7 in the Ibru Related Parties respectively.”
Mr. Falana went further. “It may interest you to know that Flotsome Investment Limited, one of the three companies owned by Mr. Dele Oye was left out of the Settlement Agreement even though the company remains indebted to Oceanic Bank (now Ecobank Plc) to the tune of N7,069,450,000.00 (Seven Billion, Sixty Nine Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only). Furthermore, Mr Oye has not denied the fact that he obtained the said loan of N22 billion with the forged signatures of his junior in chambers, Mrs. Elizabeth Ishola and his personal secretary, Mrs. Jane Orumen.”
In 2009. Saharareporters exposed the criminal activities of Mr. Oye in a series of reports surrounding the case of Mrs. Cecil Ibru, the former CEO of Oceanic Bank. We exposed his close relationship with the now convicted bank executive. Not only was Mr. Oye a front for Mrs. Ibru’s criminal activities, he even forged the names of his colleagues at the Abuja based Dele Oye and Associates to secure loans from Oceanic. Mr. Oye’s associates were also shocked to find their names on the board of the company that owed billions of naira in fraudulent loans to Oceanic bank.
Mr. Oye, who hails from Edo State, has ties to the Sani Abacha regime, Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State, former Governor James Ibori as well as to Yar'adua's Minister of Labour and Productivity, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN). Saharareporters also exposed Mr. Oye’s business deals with Mrs. Yemisi Suswan, the wife of Governor Suswan of Benue State. Mr. Oye sits on the board of a company, All-purpose Shelters Limited, as company secretary/legal adviser. Mrs. Suswan is CEO of Allpurpose Shelters company according to CAC records.
The EFCC declared Mr. Dele Oye wanted during the trial of Mrs. Ibru for helping to launder money for the banker.
Investigations by Saharareporters in 2009 revealed that Oye was a tested and veteran actor in the highly secretive world of money laundering in Nigeria. Oye featured prominently in the money laundering activities of the former General Sani Abacha’s regime. He was also the main link between General Jerry Useni, one of Abacha’s closest confidants who also served as minister in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, and the several fronts used by Mr. Useni to steal and siphon funds. One of our sources stated that Oye appeared to have met Mrs. Ibru while serving to facilitate some secret deals for the former FCT minister.
Mr. Oye’s work as prosecutor for the body of benchers came under scrutiny following disclosure of his connections with the Ibrus as well as former Governor Ibori.
As a prosecutor for the NBA’s Legal Disciplinary Committee, in April of 2008, Oye “successfully” prosecuted two lawyers and recommended that the Supreme Court remove their names from the directory of lawyers. Justice Akintola Ejiwunmi had dragged the two lawyers, Moses Odiri and Andrew Oru, before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) after they accused former Chief Justice Muhammadu Uwais of collecting a bribe from Mr. Ibori to help the former governor “kill” a case to show that he was an ex-convict. Odiri is known to have accused Ibori of participating in the assassination of NADECO financier, Pa Alfred Rewane.
Mr. Falana has vowed to sue the NBA at the Federal High Court if the legal body fails to remove Mr. Oye as a prosecutor and a representative of the Nigerian Bar Association from the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee in seven days. He reminded the NBA of its goal of removing those who make “a mockery of the resolve of the Nigerian Bar Association to purge its rank of corrupt elements.”
Writing about Mr. Dele Oye, Falana concluded that, “He is no longer a fit and proper person to prosecute lawyers accused of professional misconduct before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.”
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