EXCLUSIVE: Pastor Adeboye's Son, Adeolu Abandons Kaduna Project After Taking Over N8Billion From El-Rufai Gov’t, Runs To Court To Stop Probe

Adeolu Adeboye, lad of Redeemed Christian Church of God's General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, received implicit N8 cardinal from Kaduna State Government for a contract, but abandoned the task aft 30% completion.

SaharaReporters learnt that Adeolu and his wife, who secured the declaration done Ronchess Global Resources Plc during erstwhile Governor Nasir El-Rufai's administration, person been evading accountability for the diverted funds and unfinished project.

Following Kaduna State Government and House of Assembly's probe into the alleged fraud, the cleric’s lad filed a suit (FHC/L/CS/1206/24) astatine the Federal High Court successful Lagos.

Adeolu seeks an injunction restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kaduna State Government, and the House of Assembly from arresting oregon detaining him implicit the abandoned N17.26 cardinal project.

The EFCC, Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Kaduna State Government and Kaduna State House of Assembly are the 1st to 6th Respondents respectively.

A Kaduna State House of Assembly squad inspected the Wusasa to Danmagaji Nagoyi Road task tract (Kaduna North Local Government Area) connected May 16, 2024, astatine 4:47 pm. They recovered the tract abandoned by Ronchess Global Resources Plc, owned by Adeolu Adeboye.

The task is an 8km roadworthy successful Zaria. Though N8.195,014,236.95 had been paid for the project, the occupation was lone 30 percent completed earlier being abandoned by the cleric’s son.

The play of declaration is 18 months and the expected completion day was January 2, 2021. Meanwhile, the declaration was awarded to Ronchess Global Resources Plc connected September 15, 2020.

The archetypal declaration sum is N8.74 cardinal portion the afloat declaration sum was revised connected December 6, 2022 to the sum of N17.26 billion.

However, to halt the probe, Adeolu Adeboye rapidly ran to tribunal to question an “interim bid restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Respondents whether by themselves, their servants, officers oregon agents from taking immoderate further step(s) successful compelling the Applicant (him), either by apprehension and/or detention, to be the scheduled meetings of 8th July, 2024 oregon immoderate different gathering oregon immoderate gathering subsequently convened by the 1st-4th and 5th &6th Respondents successful respect of the contracts awarded to Ronchess Global Resources Plc. which are presently taxable of a pending civilian enactment filed astatine the Kaduna State High Court…”

This is constituted arsenic Suit No: KDH/KAD/594/2024: Ronchess Global Resources Plc v. Kaduna State Government, Kaduna State House of Assembly &2 ors.

He sought the interim bid pending the proceeding and last determination of the Applicant's (Adeolu) Motion connected Notice for Interlocutory Injunction filed herein.

Justice K.O. Ogundare of the Federal High Court successful Lagos subsequently granted an interim bid “to the Applicant (Adeolu) directing the parties herein, whether by themselves, their agents, officers, servants oregon different howsoever to 4th Applicant and the menace of his apprehension and detention by the 1st - 4th Respondents, the taxable substance of this suit, pending the proceeding and last determination of the Applicant's Motion connected Notice for Interlocutory Injunction filed herein.

The tribunal besides granted the following: “That an Interim Order is hereby granted to the Applicant restraining the Respondents from taking immoderate oregon further steps successful narration to the taxable substance of this cardinal close enactment and issues canvassed therein, pending the proceeding and last determination of the Applicant's Motion connected Notice for Interlocutory Injunction filed herein.

“That the Applicant shall record an undertaking arsenic to damages wrong 7 (7) days.

“That this Order and the Motion connected Notice shall beryllium served connected the Respondents wrong 7 (7) days.

“That this lawsuit is adjourned to 20/9/2024, for proceeding of the Motion connected Notice.”

However, successful a counter-affidavit filed by the EFCC sworn by a unit subordinate of the anti-corruption agency, Mohammed Arabo connected August 14, 2024 astatine the Federal High Court Registry, Ikoyi, the bureau said aft a captious investigation of the petition and enactment with the main officers of the 6th Respondent, it “found grounds of fraud and transgression diversion of nationalist funds against the Applicant (Adeolu Adeboye) and 26 different contractors”.

Arabo identified himself arsenic a subordinate of the squad acceptable up by 1st Respondent (EFCC) to analyse the petition.

He further deposed that the “Applicant's company, Ronchess Global Resources Plc abandoned the jobs adjacent though the level of completion is 30%”.

Arabo confirmed that the “Applicant's company, Ronchess Global Resources Plc has collected a sum of N8,185,014,328.95 (Eight Billion, One Hundred and Eighty Five Million, Fourteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty Eight Naira, Ninety Five Kobo) adjacent though the level of completion of the jobs is lone 30% (thirty percent)”.

He said, “In enactment with the signifier of the 1st Respondent (EFCC), we sent invitation letters to the aforementioned contractors, including the Applicant, to alteration them to respond to the allegations made against them by the 6th Respondent.

“The 1st Respondent invited 35 contractors indicted by the 6th Respondent. 16 Contractors reported and made statements to the 1st Respondent's squad portion 9 others person requested to study astatine a aboriginal day.

“The Applicant is 1 of the 10 different contractors that rushed to this Honourable Court for judicial screen from investigation.”

The lawyers representing the EFCC are Femi Falana (SAN), Mrs Funmi Falana (SAN), and Chukwuma Onwuemene Esq., each of Falana & Falana’s Chambers portion the lawyers for the cleric’s lad are Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), Adedoyin Adesoji Esq., Oluwatosin Adesioye Esq., Omia Ejewentotor Esq., Ayorinde Ogundeji Esq., Emmanuel Omohavwa Esq., Percious Chukwu Esq., and Hannah Ayanwale Esq., each of Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN & Company.

In the 1st respondent’s (EFCC’s) written code arsenic argued by Falana (SAN), helium lamented the inclination and temptation to “misuse the Fundamental Right (Enforcement Procedure) Rules randomly by the tendency of ineligible practitioners to elevate the illustration of their assertion and sentimentally effort to unit up the tribunal to person an aboriginal assemblage person ever manifested successful our courts”.

One of the issues for determination was whether the precocious tribunal has the jurisdiction to perceive and find the Applicant’s lawsuit erstwhile the allegations of breach of cardinal rights bash not represent the main claims.

Falana argued that the question to beryllium “resolved is whether the applicant’s assertion falls wrong the benignant that is enforceable arsenic an infraction of cardinal right”.

The EFCC’s counsel argued further: “The presumption of the instrumentality is that for a assertion to suffice arsenic falling nether cardinal rights, it indispensable beryllium wide that the main alleviation sought is for the enforcement oregon for securing the enforcement of a cardinal close and not, from the quality of the claim, to redress a grievance that is ancillary to the main alleviation which itself is not ipso facto a assertion for the enforcement of cardinal right.”

Falana noted that “significantly, the assertion of immoderate breach is not similar a magic wand which tin beryllium waved successful the look of each assertion and crook connected the motor of enforcement of a close that whitethorn not beryllium constitutional”.