The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has once again appealed the decision to acquit former Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, of money laundering charges.
Ikuforiji, along with his former aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, faced a total of 54 charges related to an alleged N338.8 million in money laundering. However, on June 24, Justice Mohammed Liman found Ikuforiji not guilty.
Unhappy with this outcome, the EFCC has filed a notice of appeal, represented by prosecutor Mr. Ekene Ihenacho (SAN). He argued that the court made mistakes in its judgment, particularly regarding the legal issues presented in the charges.
Ihenacho claimed that the court incorrectly stated that the charges didn’t raise legal concerns. He emphasized that the prosecution had shown evidence that Ikuforiji and Atoyebi received and made cash payments exceeding legal limits without going through financial institutions, which violates the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
He also mentioned that the trial court did not follow previous decisions made by higher courts in related cases, which established clear guidelines for such offenses.
The EFCC believes the lower court did not fully consider the evidence presented and overlooked the fact that earlier courts had found sufficient grounds to pursue the case against Ikuforiji and Atoyebi.
The appeal is yet to be scheduled for a hearing.
To recall, Ikuforiji and Atoyebi were first charged on March 1, 2012, with financial misappropriation and money laundering. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail. The case was later reassigned to a different judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, who initially discharged them of the charges in September 2014, stating that the EFCC had not established a strong case against them.
Dissatisfied, the EFCC appealed, and in November 2016, the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial. This retrial led back to the Supreme Court, which upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision.
The case was reassigned to Justice Liman, who ultimately acquitted Ikuforiji and Atoyebi on June 24, 2024. The EFCC accuses them of taking cash payments that exceeded legal thresholds without going through financial institutions and misusing assembly funds from April 2010 to July 2011.
