By OLA AJAYI

IBADAN — ALL the 10 suspects alleged to have defrauded the Oyo State Local Government Pension Board of  N1, 590, 783, 671. 47 have been arraigned before a Chief Magistrates Court in Ibadan.

However, the accused  persons pleaded not guilty to all the three count charges.

The accused are Hakeem Muili, Alhaja Iyabo Giwa, Adeduntan Johnson, Oguntayo Banji, Adesina Jimoh, Johnson Bosede, Adebiyi Olasumbo, Kareem Rasheed, Muili Adedamola and Salewa Adedeji.

According to the charges brought against them, they were alleged to have been involved in conspiracy to steal, abuse of office and stealing of Local Government Staff Pension fund totaling N1, 590,783,671,47.

The Chairman of the board, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, had raised alarm some months ago that the suspects had allegedly defrauded the board.

After being arraigned under Charge No. Mi/238C/2013, and their pleas taken, Justice Tijani Durosaro, ordered them to be remanded in the Agodi Prison custody for their inability to perfect the bail conditions.

While the Attorney -General of Oyo State, Mr. Ojo Adebayo, led the prosecution team, Mr. Yinka Okunade, held the brief for the accused persons except the second accused person who was represented by another counsel, Mr. O. Makinde.

On the application of the Defence Counsel, each of the accused persons was admitted to bail in the sum of N2,000,000,00 with two sureties in like sum.

According to the judge, each surety must have a ertificate of local government origin, or a Certificate of Occupancy in respect of a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court, or an account with any of the reputable banks in Oyo State, or certificate of business registration.

The matter was thereafter adjourned to March 19, for trial.

In August last year, the Oyo State Government had discovered a pension fraud in its Local Government Service Pensions Board totaling, at the initial stage,  N2, 608, 398, 709. 29 but later skyrocketed to N6.4 billion.

According to Ayankojo, the interim investigative report of the commission into the account of the board between September 2010 and March, 2011, which exposed the fraud, had indicted ten civil servants who were allegedly involved in the scam.

Ayankojo said eight of the alleged perpetrators of the fraud were then being detained by the police while two of them had absconded.

He said that upon the receipt of the report of the committee, the board met the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who ordered that the board should get to the roots of the scam immediately.

Delving into the mode of the perpetration of the fraud, Ayankojo disclosed that the board discovered this fraud aftermath of complaints by local government workers and teacher retirees who claimed that their pensions had not been paid to them by government.