…Comrade Julus Oghenevwegba Bobi demands retraction, apologies from the Guardian over alleged false report
*Report of Police investigation yet unknown
By Olawale Lamina
A Federal Capital Territory Magistrate court sitting in Wuse zone 6, Abuja, has issued ordered, calling on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun and the Police Criminal Investigation Department to immediately investigate a pending fraud allegations in the Motorcycle union.
The court declared that the Claimant in the matter, Comrade Julus Oghenevwegba Bobi observed that the Defendant, Sotayo Rasak Olusola, in a suit started conducting himself and carrying out activities as the President of the 1st Complainant and started using touts and thugs to Criminally force motorcyclists in places like Lagos, Ogun, Rivers Sates and within Abuja, among others, to buy tickets by instilling fear in minds of Union operators in order to commit extortion and remit proceeds from the sales of tickets to his personal and his agents’ accounts, thereby committing an offense punishable under Sections 265 and 293 of the Penal Code Laws.
According to Oghenevwegba, the court held that the defendant’s offences became more severe “as The Defendant organized a kangaroo meeting, made it seem as though I presided at the meeting, but I did not convene such, did not preside, and was not in any way in control of the meeting.
“But it was the Defendant who dictated and managed the proceedings at the meeting making members of the union believe he had my authority.
Also, Magistrate court also affirms that, the Defendant used an address in Utako as the address of his fake kangaro office (evidence hereby attached as Exhibit 5), thereby criminally changing the registered gazette address, contrary to the provisions of MOUN (1st Complainant) constitutional amendment and the extant provisions of the Trade Unions Act 2005 (As Amended). The court also observed that there is no evidence whatsoever that a National Delegates Conference was called io approve an alteration of the registered address of the Union and clearly this alteration is not gazetted by the Registrar of the Trade Unions. The Constitution of the 1st Complainant did not make provisions for any Special Delegate Congress; rather what was provided for by the Constitution is Special National Delegates Conference, with clear
provisions on how the Conference can.be convened, held and its function.
Whereas, the Defendant called an unlawful assembly tagged “Special Delegates Congress”, an assembly of people unknown to the MOUN
corstitution. By operating the illegal/ungazeled office at Utako as mentioned earlier.
By his action, the defendant has thereby contravened Section 364 of the Penal Code Law and Section 47 of the Trade
Unions Act (mandating that alteration of the address of a Trade Union must be notified in the Federal Government Gazette in accordance with the constitution of MOUN and the Trade Unions Act).
Therefore, the district court of the federal capital territory, in the Abuja district division in Abuja, hereby Orders as follows:
- AN ORDER GRANTED BY THIS HONOURABLE COURT
that Comrade Julus Oghenevwegba Bobi remains the National president ‘of MOUN, 1″ Claimant pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed in this suit. - A INTERIM INJUNCTION of the Honourable Court prohibiting the Defendant from impersonating the National President of MOUN (1″ claimant) and further parading and misrepresenting himself as the National President of MOU Neither by himself, his servant, privies or Agents pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed in this suit.
- AN ORDER directing the Defendant to stop the illegal printing of MOUN ticket and remit all revenues already generated by the defendant to his personal account, from the sale of the ticket to MOUN corporate account or he
account of the Court pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed in this suit. - AN ORDER of the Court directing that all revenues be paid into the Union’s Ecobank corporate Account No: 0480035700 with Account Name: Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria and AN ORDER prohibiting the use of personal account for remittance of any revenues generated by the Union pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed in this suit.
- AN ORDER by this Honourable Cout that the change of the registered gazette address is at variance with the provisions of MOUN constitutional provision and an order sealing off the illegal address at Utako for maintenance of the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed in this suit. The judgement reads.
On the court order mandating IGP Egbetokun to conduct an investigation into the matter, ( a copy of which is attached here, the Magistrate court gave two weeks for the police authorities to do so and report the outcome of its findings beck to the court.
Following this development, the police had yet to make known its findings as the court order has already elapsed. Efforts by The Pinnacle Times to seek further clarifications on the matter did not materialize as neither the SUPOL nor the CP in charge of the investigation could be reached as at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, Comrade Julus Oghenevwegba Bobi has accused The Guardian newspaper published report which declared the defendant (Sotayo) as the president of motorcyclist union.
He condemned the publication by stating that, “Yhis is an unprofessional act by The Guardian newspapers. They did not verify the CTC (Certified True Copy) of the so-called ruling of the said FCT Chief Magistrate Court Wuse Zone 6 Abuja.
” This story is not true as there was no such ruling by the said Court.
“And we hereby call for its immediate retraction and an apology to the Claimants especially Comrade Julius Oghenevwegba Bobi FCPAN National President of Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria[MOUN].
“Thank you.Yours Sincerely,Comrade Chief Julius Oghenevwegba Bobi, FCPAN National President,Motorcycle Operators Union of Nigeria[MOUN].”
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