Two former top members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Timothy Elerewe and Adegbuyi Ayodele were on Tuesday remanded in prison custody for allegedly duping their colleagues to the tune of over N14m.
Timothy Elerewe, a former chairman of the NUJ Correspondent Chapel, Abuja, and Adegbuyi Ayodele, former secretary of the union are to remain in Kuje Prison till July 25, the adjourned date for the hearing of the case by Justice Suleiman Belgore of a High Court sitting in Abuja.
A five-count charge bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust slammed on them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also showed that they committed the offence, for which they were being tried, in 2006.
That year, they had informed their members of 33.32 hectares of land purportedly allocated to the NUJ Chapel by the Nasarawa State Government and that the beneficiaries needed to secure the land with their money. Consequently, 111 journalists paid N350, 000 per plot.
The total amount thus paid was put at N14, 146,000. But after the payment, the duo began to play hide-and-seek with their colleagues. Since then, the affected journalists said they could not get the land or their money.
One of the five counts reads: “That you Timothy Elewere (being former chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists Correspondent Chapel, FCT and Adegbuyi Ayodele (being former Secretary, Nigerian Union of Journalists Correspondent Chapel FCT) between January and December 2008 in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did dishonestly convert the sum of N6,491,000.00 (six million, four hundred and ninety one thousand naira only) being property of Nigerian Union of Journalists Correspondent Chapel, FCT to your own use and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 311 and punishable under section 312 of the Penal Code.”
When they pleaded not guilty to the charge, the prosecuting counsel asked the court to fix a date for trial and also urged that they be remanded in prison, pending the determination of the case.
Countering the prosecution, counsel to the first accused person, Esther Uzoma made an oral application for bail, which Justice Belgore rejected, maintaining that the accused must formally apply for bail.
He adjourned proceedings to July 25 and ruled that the accused person be remanded.
The EFCC had earlier this year arrested Elewere, who worked for the African Independence Television (AIT) during the period of the alleged crime. It was learnt that those who fell victim were warned by the then Chairman of NUJ, Malachy Uzendu, against buying, but that they rebuffed his advice.
About four years after the money was collected and the land not allocated, some of the victims petitioned EFCC to investigate Elerewe. In the petition, they claimed that previous petitions to the anti-graft agency were not acted upon because they suspected that Elewere had some accomplices within the agency who frustrated their moves.
