Two in court for extorting Osun lawmaker of N38m with nude video

Olakunle Muhammed, 41, and Rasheed Bakare, 55, yesterday appeared before an Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding an Osun lawmaker the sum of N38 million.

The accused are facing three counts of conspiracy, theft, and fraud; while the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Moses Faremi, told the court that the two accused committed the offence between April and July at Oluajo area of Osogbo.

Residents of Osun had last month been left in disbelief following the emergence of a nude video of the lawmaker, Owoeye. In the video, Owoeye, representing Ilesa East, was caught by some persons who alleged he was performing a ritual bath in the market square for success in the forthcoming elections.

It was gathered that Owoeye was lured for a ritual bath by a syndicate who recorded the video with the aim of extorting money from him.

Faremi said the defendants conspired to defraud the Majority Leader of the Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, of N38 million under the pretence of organising a special prayer to avert a revelation concerning death. He said the offences contravened sections 516 and 418, punishable under sections 419, 383(1) and 390(9) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol.11 Laws of Osun, 2002.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, while the defense counsel, Mr. Ajibade Shittu, urged the court to grant his clients bail in the most liberal and affordable terms. Though the prosecutor prayed the court to reject the bail application by the defence counsel, the magistrate, Mr. Olusegun Ayilara, overruled, saying the offences were bailable.

The magistrate, therefore, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N1 million each and two sureties in like sum. Ayilara said the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction with evidence of tax payment and three passport-sized photographs attached, with an affidavit of means. He adjourned the case till November 9 for hearing.

He also said one of the sureties must be a civil servant on Grade Level 12, while the other should be a close relation of the accused, with land as a property.