According to the report from the Vanguard, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, the former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, has expressed immense relief following the Federal High Court in Lagos's decision to dismiss the money laundering charges against him. The charges, brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have been a significant burden for Ikuforiji for over 12 years.
Speaking to journalists at his office in Ikeja on Wednesday, two days after Justice Mohammed Liman acquitted him and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, of 54 counts of money laundering, Ikuforiji described his ordeal as "baseless and unjust persecution."
Reflecting on the lengthy trial, Ikuforiji said, "My joy knows no bounds—almost 48 hours now. I am extremely grateful to God. I was the Speaker for 10 years and was persecuted for 12 and a half years over a wrongful allegation. I suffered unnecessarily for that period of 12 and a half years."
Ikuforiji detailed the origins of his legal troubles, explaining that the case began with an anonymous petition to the EFCC. "A faceless petitioner wrote a petition to the EFCC to the effect that Lagos State House of Assembly arm-twisted the governor to pay N500m on a monthly basis as running costs. And exactly 14 months later, the Speaker had stolen and misappropriated N7bn. This was the beginning of the whole issue," he said.
Despite thorough investigations by the EFCC, no evidence of financial misconduct was found. "The EFCC came to the Assembly and combed the entire books of the House for three months and a week. And at the end of the day, they didn’t see any misappropriation, stealing, or embezzling of a kobo from the money released to the House. The officer who led the investigation affirmed that our book was the neatest and most detailed he had ever seen," Ikuforiji stated.
This acquittal comes as a significant victory for Ikuforiji, marking the end of a long and arduous legal battle.