EFCC Drags Husband and Wife to Ado-Ekiti Court Over Shocking ₦1.09 Billion Fake DESOPADEC Road Contract Scam Used to Buy Luxury Lounge

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated a major judicial assault against corporate graft in Ekiti State, formally arraigning a husband and wife before the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti for allegedly orchestrating a massive ₦1.09 billion contract fraud that targeted a widowed investor.

The couple, identified as Olorunbukunmi Taiwo and his wife, Awolegan Omolola Omotola, appeared before presiding judge Justice Abubakar Usman on Monday, June 8, 2026. The anti-graft agency slammed the duo with an intensive six-count charge bordering strictly on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretences, and the illegal retention of the proceeds of criminal activity.

The genesis of the sophisticated scam manual was unzipped following a detailed petition dispatched to the commission by the victim, Mrs. Anazia Kenechukwu. According to court filings, the principal defendant, Taiwo, approached the widow with what appeared to be a goldmine infrastructure opportunity, presenting a fabricated documentation portfolio claiming that his firm had been awarded a major road construction project by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC). Believing she was stepping into a legitimate, state-backed partnership, Mrs. Kenechukwu agreed to provide the mandatory capital layout required to execute the works.

Relying on this fraudulent premise, the complainant systematically authorized the transfer of an astronomical total sum of ₦1,980,000,000.00 into Taiwo’s personal and corporate bank accounts domiciled with Access Bank Plc. However, instead of deploying the funds into heavy machinery, asphalt, or engineering logistics along the designated regional transport corridors, the couple allegedly activated an asset-laundering manual to convert the widow’s wealth into their private portfolio.

EFCC forensic investigators told the court that over ₦1.09 billion was completely diverted from the project’s account logs and channeled directly into purchasing choice real estate across Ekiti State. Among the laundered assets uncovered by the agency’s tracking grid was a high-end commercial entertainment lounge and a sprawling, newly built four-bedroom bungalow located within prime residential zones in Ado-Ekiti.

Recognizing the flight risk and the potential dissipation of the stolen capital, the EFCC moved quickly ahead of the arraignment, securing an interim forfeiture order from the court to lock down and seize the identified properties, effectively placing them under a state-controlled defensive shield.

“We are dealing with a heartless case of financial predation where a widow’s trust was completely weaponized against her,” an EFCC legal representative noted after the session. “The commission’s data loops are entirely airtight regarding how these billions were systematically broken down, transferred, and converted into real estate assets under the second defendant’s name to evade regulatory audit trails.”

When the six counts were read aloud to the accused couple by the court registrar, Taiwo and his wife firmly entered “not guilty” pleas to all the infractions. The defense counsel immediately filed an oral application requesting the court to allow the defendants to remain on administrative bail, citing family stability and constitutional fair hearing provisions.

However, the prosecuting team strongly pushed back against an immediate release manual, urging the court to fix a definitive trial date and remand the suspects inside correctional trenches to prevent any potential tampering with outstanding financial data logs. Justice Abubakar Usman subsequently ordered the couple to be remanded in custody pending a formal hearing on the bail application, adjourning the matter to a later date for the commencement of full trial proceedings.