Illegal polytechnic uncovered in Ekiti, owner arraigned for fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned Johnson Babatola, a fake polytechnic operator, through the help of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Kaduna.

Babatola, a former principal manager of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was accused of operating an illegal polytechnic named Teedek Polytechnic, located in Ilogbo, Ekiti state.

In a statement posted on the website of the EFCC on Monday, the anti-graft agency noted that the NBTE drew its attention to the fraudulent operation.

The EFCC arraigned Babatola before Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo of the federal high court in Ado-Ekiti on a 7-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud and operation of illegal polytechnic.

Babatola was also said to have allegedly obtained money from “gullible students who are not aware of the status of the institution”.

One of the counts reads, “that you John Babatola sometime between the month of August, 2013 and March 2015 at Ilogbo Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N118,000.00 (One Hundred and Eighteen Thousand Naira) from Adakeja Thomas Olusola, when you falsely represented that the money represented tuition fees towards the award of National Diploma Certificate by Teedek Polytechnic and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006”.

Justice Taiwo granted the accused bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in like sum.

One of the sureties must be the traditional ruler of Ilogbo-Ekiti while the second surety must be one of the sureties during the administrative bail earlier granted him by the EFCC.

Babatola, who is expected to deposit his international passport with the court, will be remanded in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail conditions.