Fayose Released From Prison

Dapo Falade, Ado-Ekiti - 26.01.2006

TEMPORARY relief may have come the way of the embattled former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, as he was said to have been released from the Ikoyi Prisons late on Thursday.

Fayose was in the early hours of Thursday brought to Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, in a convoy of cars, including a Peugeot Expert van, by heavily armed prisons officials and riot policemen to be arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti High Court in respect of the murder of the late Mr. Tunde Omojola.

However, the trial could not commence as the judge, Justice Cornelius Akintayo, adjourned further hearing, stating that the court could not afford to be delayed as the suspect was not produced before him on time.

While stating that Fayose had been released from the prisons, having met the bail conditions of N50 million and two sureties in the like sum in addition to having landed property in Lagos, Chief Segun Akinwunmi, a former commissioner in Fayose’s administration, told Saturday Tribune that his former boss regained his freedom on Thursday evening.

Akinwunmi said that the former governor would emerge victorious from his present ordeal. He said, “I dont know why the Ekiti State Government is busy chasing the shadows rather than finding ways to settle down to serious business of governance.

“Fayose should not be the main source of concern to the government, but rather they should find a way to improve the living standard of the common man in the state.”

However, another source said that the freedom granted Fayose was only momentary, adding that the former governor would soon be brought to Ado-Ekiti to stand trial for his alleged involvement in the killing of Omojola.

Meanwhile, the Ayo Fayose Foundation Movement (AFFM) has declared as illegal the bringing of the embattled former governor to Ado-Ekiti for arraignment on Thursday.

The group, in a release signed by its Director of Publicity, Dr. Funso Alarape, and made available to Saturday Tribune on Friday said that the arraignment was an arrangement bet-ween the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja and the Ekiti State govern-ment.

The statement said, “Immediately Fayose was admitted to bail by Justice Tijani Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Lagos, last Monday the judge traveled to Abuja for official engagement and did not come back to Lagos until Wednesday night.

“So, the release warrant of Fayose could not be signed despite the fact that we had met the bail conditions.

“On Wednesday, pre-ssures from Abuja were mounted on the Controller of Ikoyi Prisons to hand over Fayose to the Ekiti State Government.

“At 4 a.m on Thursday, the warders and officials of Ekiti State Government smuggled Fayose out of prison and drove him to Ado-Ekiti.

“The prison authorities were working to please Segun Oni. “We wonder why at this period of a new era, such an illegality could still be condoned.

“As far as we are concerned, Fayose cannot be held responsible for Omojola who died as a result of mob action.

“The law is very clear on this. “In mob action, who are you to hold responsible? “Was Segun Oni at the spot? “Let him explain.”

Oni has, however, denied the allegation that he connived with prisons authority in Abuja to facilitate the arraignment of the former governor in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday.

He said the allegation was nothing but a mere display of the usual antics of Fayose, his supporters and the state chapter of the Action Congress (AC).

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Mrs. Bolanle Richard-Bruce, Oni told Saturday Tribune that he could not descend so low as to thwart and pervert the course of justice.

He said that Fayose should just brace up and face the hurdle before him. He said, “The truth of the matter is that Fayose and his supporters were up again with their usual antics to make themselves relevant among the people.

“Governor Oni is a firm believer in the rule of law; he has no business with the prisons authority either at Abuja or in Lagos.

“Rather than appealing to the people’s emotion, Fayose and his loyalists should face reality and face the course of justice as dictated by law.”