Date: 2019-11-07

The Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned the General Manager of Kwara State Television Authority, Alhaji Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale, on a six count charge bordering on corrupt practices.

Adebowale was arraigned before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

It was learnt that some staff of the Kwara Television wrote a petition to the EFCC, alleging that the Station’s General Manager sold the ten plots of land allocated to workers by the state government and converted the money to personal use.

The petitioner also alleged that the defendant used his influence to allocate a plot of land to his daughter who is not a staff of the Television Station.

Count three of the charge read; "That you, Abdulfatai Adewale Adebowale, being a public officer, as the General Manager of Kwara State Television Authority, sometime between May 2015 and June 2015, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, used your office to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself, when you received a cash deposit of the sum of N2.3 million through your IBTC account from Sulyman Abdulkareem, being proceeds from the sale of land allocated to staff of Kwara State Television and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000".

The Kwara TV boss however pleaded not guilty when the charges were read.

Prosecuting counsel, Christopher Mshelia, prayed the court to give them a trial day and order the accused person to be remanded in prison custody. Defence counsel, D.B Hasana, did not object to the first prayer, seeking a trial day but asked that the accused be remanded in EFCC custody because of health conditions.

Justice Oyinloye ordered that the defendant be remanded in Oke Kura correctional service and adjourned the matter till next Tuesday for hearing of his bail application.