The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the examination fraud charges brought against a Secondary School Principal, Aregbesola Mufutau, and three others put on trial by the police, along with the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Justice Inyang Ekwo discharged and acquitted the four persons accused of committing the offence , the defendants were let off the hook from the seven count amended charge, while delivering ruling in their no-case submission.
The Police had in 2018 arraigned senator Adeleke along with Sikiru Adeleke, said to be the Senator’s relative, the school principal, Aregbesola Mufutau, a school registrar ,Gbadamosi Ojo and a teacher, Dare Olutope on a four count charge bordering on examination fraud.
However, the court had last year freed Senator Adeleke from the charges, after it was withdrawn by police.
Read Also : Court dismisses suit against Akeredolu’s nomination
The police predicated their action on the grounds that, Adeleke had failed to make himself available for trial since he was granted leave to travel abroad on medical grounds.
The police then prayed the court to sever the charge, to exclude Adeleke from the trial and arraigned the remaining four, on a seven count charge bordering on conspiracy.
Ruling on the no-case submission, Justice Ekwo, held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the defendants . Particularly, no witness was called from the National Examination Council (NECO) to testify throughout the trial and no iota of the ingredients of conspiracy supplied to the court by the police, to establish that the four defendants conspired to commit the alleged malpractices.
The court, therefore, dismissed the charge.
(Edited by : Tunde Orebiyi)
