The Federal High Court in Osogbo is set to render its judgment on Tuesday in the case involving former Osun Speaker, Timothy Owoeye.
Owoeye is the alleged victim of blackmailers responsible for the release of an alleged ritual video and defrauding him of N38 million.
In 2018, a 13-second viral video of a nude ritual showed the ex-speaker, who represented Ilesa East at the State Assembly, participating in a ritual bath in the market square, purportedly to ensure his success in the 2019 General elections.
The alleged blackmailers were reported to have extorted N38 million from the ex-Speaker before releasing the video on the internet.
Subsequently, the police arrested the culprits and recovered N9 million from them before initiating legal proceedings in 2018.
Initially, the accused individuals were arraigned in a Magistrates court and subsequently remanded in a Correctional Facility while awaiting their trials.
However, their case was later transferred to the Federal High Court in Osogbo for fresh arraignment.
The seven accused individuals, namely Kazeem Agbabiaka, Femi Oyebode, Abdul-Rasheed Ojonla, Babatunde Oluajo, Adebiyi Kehinde, Oyebanji Oyeniyi, and Ismaila Azeez, faced five charges, including conspiracy, advance fee fraud, cyber stalking, and obtaining money under false pretenses.
Throughout the trial, the lead prosecution counsel, Barrister Moses Faremi, presented 57 exhibits, which included a flash drive and bank statements from Guarantee Trust Bank, WEMA Bank, and First Bank, among others.
Justice Maureen Oyetenu has set today, November 7, 2023, as the date for delivering judgment in this case.
