Fuel subsidy fraud suspect, Opeyemi Ajuyah, is dead

Opeyemi Ajuyah

A fuel subsidy suspect, Opeyemi Ajuyah, is dead, Premium Times has reported.

The online medium however said details of her death were sketchy.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on Friday,  May 22 2015,  re-arraigned Mrs Ajuah, Majope Investment, Abdullah, son of late prominent businessman, Abdulazeez Arisekola-Alao, Axenergy, and Olarenwaju Olalusi before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, on eight-count amended charge of conspiracy,  forgery and obtaining money under false pretence.

The suspects were first arraigned before the same court for allegedly obtaining  the sum of N1,110,049,444.35 (One Billion, One Hundred and Ten Million, Forty Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty- Four Naira, Thirty- Five kobo) fraudulently as subsidy payments for 15,206,733 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from the Federal Government.

At the May 2015 re- arraignment, prosecuting counsel, Seidu Atteh, brought an amended eight- count charge against the suspects, alleging that they obtained the sum of N798, 984,707.35 (Seven Hundred and Ninety Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Seven Naira, Thirty Five kobo) from the Federal Government in unearned subsidy payments for 20,386,583 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

All the accused persons and their companies pleaded not guilty to the charges.

One of the charges read :  “You Opeyemi Ajuyah, Majope Investment, Abdullahi Alao, Axenergy and Olarenwaju Olalusi on or about the 18th day of April, 2011 at Lagos within the Ikeja judicial division with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N798,984,707.35 from the Federal  government of Nigeria by falsely claiming that the sum represented subsidy that accrued to Majope Investment Limited under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of  20,386,583 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) as discharged at Lister terminal in Apapa, Lagos whereas you only discharged 5,712,851 litres at the said Lister Terminal through MT Brave daughter vessel which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud And Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006”.

Ajuyah reacted to the sack of former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, in November 2015 with the Facebook post “Praise God!!!!!!!!”