The APC House Representatives candidate was alleged to have swindled an oil magnate, Johnson Akinnawonu who is also a director in JAAC Nig. Ltd. to the tune of N3billion.
A journalist and publisher of Daily Metro News NG, an online newspaper, Mr. Ayodeji Adebayo, has regained his freedom after SaharaReporters’ story on his Illegal arrest by the Nigerian police in Abuja.
Ayodeji was arrested by the police on Friday, September 30, 2022, over the publication of a story exposing the fraudulent activities of a House of Representatives candidate for Ekiti North Federal Constituency (II) under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters on Friday said the publisher was released from Alagbon on Thursday, October 6.
SaharaReporters had on Monday, October 3, reported how the journalist was forced to pull down a story of alleged N3billion fraud involving Akinlayo before the journalist was eventually arrested.
The APC House Representatives candidate was alleged to have swindled an oil magnate, Johnson Akinnawonu who is also a director in JAAC Nig. Ltd. to the tune of N3billion.
Upon his arrest, the journalist was taken to Wuse Zone 3 police station where he was detained and later handed over to another team of policemen who came from Alagbon in Lagos State.
Akinlayo and his lawyer one Rotimi Olorunfemi who is also the chairman of Akure branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) allegedly defrauded, Akinnawonu on the pretext of helping him to acquire a property in Gwarinpa area of Abuja which he failed to deliver.
Investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that Olorunfemi had since confessed to the crime while Kolawole also agreed in a letter addressed to Johnson his readiness to refund the sum of N830,000,000 (Eight Hundred and Thirty Million Naira) before June 30, 2022.
But Kolawole has refused to honour the agreement and pay up and had since then evaded arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) FCID Alagbon Lagos who had since launched a manhunt for him.
A petition dated 15th March 2022 addressed to the Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by Johnson's lawyer, Barr.Adejumola Ajayi, and obtained by SaharaReporters was titled "Criminal Conversion and Obtaining of N1.9billion Under False Pretence.”
The petition read in part, “That sometimes between 2013 and 2015, the duo of Merrs. Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole and Rotimi Olorunfemi (a purported estate Manager and his Solicitor) with their office address at Akure made representation to our clients to procure some real estate property for them at Abuja and Lagos.
“Property tagged Tantalizer building at Aminu Kano Crescent, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent Wuse 11 Abuja. Property tagged multiple three (3) storey building of former Federal government guest houses covering about 10,000 Square metres of land at Ahmadu Bello Way in Lagos. Property formerly occupied by NEPA at Kings Way Road Lagos on about 4000 square metres of land which sales obtained from our clients amounted to N1,860,000,000 ( One billion Eight Hundred and Sixty Million Naira).
"That within same period Akinlayo Davidson Kolawole obtained an additional sum of N46,000,000 ( Forty Six Million Naira) from our clients to convert their Opebi residential building to commercial building and as well collected rent of N10,400,000 ( Ten Million For Hundred Thousand Naira ) rent from our client's tenants occupying their property at Plot 176 Herbert Macauley Road without performance and account."
It was also gathered that the Johnson who doubled as Director to JAAC Nig. Ltd. is now in critical health condition and had been flown to Canada following the shock and trauma he had suffered.
He was denied access to his lawyer and family members.