Magistrate, Prosecutor, Plaintiff Absent as Court Fixes New Date for Foodco Employee ‘Illegally’ Accused of N18m Fraud
The hearing of FoodCo Nigeria Limited employee, Janet Adesina, accused of N18m fraud, fails to hold as scheduled on March 24, 2025.
This is because the Magistrate, Ogunlakin Olabisi, is absent, stalling the proceedings set to commence at 9.00am on Monday.
Janet’s lawyer, Ademola Adeniyi, informed PIJAlance’s correspondent, who is present at the Magistrate Court sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, 36 minutes to the time the proceedings is expected to start.
The case, which is between Janet and the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, representing FoodCo Nigeria Limited, is now rescheduled for June 4, 2025, the lawyer tells PIJAlance.
Janet, the defendant, expresses her displeasure over the shift in date.
She says, “I expected the case to be heard and judged today. Because of this, I arrived as early as 8.25 am at the court premises, waiting for the Magistrate, only to be told she would not be available.”
Notably, neither the plaintiff’s representative, Agunloye Opeyemi Oluwaseun (Thinktall), nor the prosecuting counsel is present at the court to represent the case.
PIJAlance previously reported that Janet, a former FoodCo employee, was accused of ₦18,728,967 fraud after a ₦24,785 missing transaction was flagged on December 16, 2024.
Findings by PIJAlance, through cross-examination of available evidence, suggest that Janet may not be guilty.
Janet appealed to FoodCo’s management to consider the possibility of a system error, which is reportedly common with FoodCo’s Cashier Machine. However, the company’s Chief Security Officer, Agunloye Opeyemi Oluwaseun, also known as Thinktall, insisted on Janet’s arrest.
She was eventually arraigned before the Ibadan Magistrate Court after spending eight nights in detention.
She secured bail at ₦8 million, with two sureties holding properties worth the same amount.
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Moruf Lawal
Lawal is a freelance journalist with keen interest in solutions journalism, government's accountability, and human-interest stories. He contributes to PIJAlance from Ibadan.