Police Clampdown: Ekiti Woman Remanded Over N3Million Loan Dispute With Governor Oyebanji’s Appointee, Alleged Ties To Political Opponents
Owoju, an appointee of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, accused Ilori of obtaining the money under false pretences.
The Nigeria Police Force in Ekiti State has remanded a 45-year-old woman, Abeleje Oluwatoyin Ilori, in the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre over allegations that she defrauded one Philip Ayodele Owoju, head of the state’s Peace Corps, of ₦3 million.
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Owoju, an appointee of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, accused Ilori of obtaining the money under false pretences.
Ilori was arraigned on September 15, 2025, before the Chief Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, according to court filings obtained by SaharaReporters. Police prosecutors alleged that she committed the offence between December 2023 and January 2024, in violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
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The prosecution claimed fingerprint evidence, a confessional statement, and Owoju’s identification tied her to the crime. They said the case file would be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
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In a motion signed by S.O. Osobu, Esq., Legal Officer of the Ekiti Police Command, prosecutors urged the court to remand Ilori, citing “probable grounds” pending further investigation.
But Ilori, in her statement, denied the allegations, insisting the money was a loan between friends.
“Sometime in December 2023 and January 2024, I obtained a loan of three million naira from one Philip Ayodele Owoju. But it’s not true that I threatened to kill him; he is my close friend,” she said.
She also denied claims that she hired thugs to trail or intimidate him. “I didn’t hire any thug to monitor his movement or do him any harm. I don’t know any thug,” she said.
Multiple sources told SaharaReporters that Ilori’s ordeal is rooted in politics, not fraud. They described her as a philanthropist who funds widow support schemes and women empowerment projects, alleging the money in question was used for that purpose.
The real issue, they said, was her association with Kayode Ojo, a political rival of Governor Oyebanji. Ilori reportedly accompanied Ojo to Abuja to submit his APC nomination and expression of interest form and was photographed with Isaac Fayose, a vocal critic of Oyebanji.
“That was what triggered her problem with Dele Owoju,” one source said. “When she returned from Abuja, she was attacked in Ado-Ekiti, then quickly arrested and remanded.”
The source recalled that Ilori had, in fact, taken loans from Owoju in the past and made repayments. According to him, it was her visible association with Ojo, not any loan default, that poisoned her relationship with Owoju and led to the current fallout.
Attention has also turned to CSP Marcus Ogundola, Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Ekiti, who allegedly ordered Ilori’s arrest. Ogundola has been repeatedly accused of spearheading politically motivated clampdowns against Ojo’s supporters.
“He is Oyebanji’s tool for harassing and intimidating anyone who doesn’t fall in line,” another source alleged.
The source claimed that in recent months, Ogundola led raids in Ikoro-Ekiti where APC ward executives, including the chairman and women leader, were paraded as armed robbers before being released without charge.
In another incident, he was accused of breaking up a lawful ward meeting of Ojo’s supporters in Igede-Ekiti, dragging them to police headquarters under the same bogus “robbery” allegations.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters show that residents of Ekiti have petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) over Ogundola’s conduct.
One such petition, dated July 17, 2025, and signed by Engr. Babatunde Obadofin accused Ogundola and his deputy, Officer Ogidan Tola, of “egregious misconduct,” including extortion, harassment, and abuse of power.
Obadofin alleged that Ogundola once led RRS operatives to arrest students of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), forcing one of them to withdraw ₦6 million from his account.
The operation reportedly backfired when it emerged that the victim’s father was a senior military officer, prompting security operatives from Abuja to storm Ekiti to confront Ogundola. The matter, sources said, is now under investigation by the DSS.
“These actions are a clear breach of the trust and responsibility placed in them as law enforcement officers,” the petition reads.
The petitioner urged the PSC to probe Ogundola and Tola, stressing that their conduct has eroded public trust in the police. He also claimed Ogundola has overstayed his retirement age but remains entrenched as RRS commander.
In a remark, Obadofin suggested that Ogundola and Tola be redeployed to the North-East to fight Boko Haram instead of “preying on defenceless civilians” in Ekiti.
“I trust that your office will take these allegations seriously and take prompt action to address the grievances of the people of Ado-Ekiti,” he wrote.
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— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) September 22, 2025