Court sends NAF chief of training to prison

The Chief of Training and Operation of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshall Olutayo Oguntoyinbo, was Thursday, ordered to be remanded in Kuje Prison, Abuja, pending his bail application.

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Apo, Abuja, gave the order after AVM  Oguntoyinbo pleaded not guilty to a one count charge of accepting N166m gift from a NAF contractor.

According to the charge, the NAF top brass allegedly received the gift from the contractor, Société D’ Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Limited, in the course of performing his official duty.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  alleged that Oguntoyinbo received the N166m gift from the contractor while serving as the Chief of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Air Force through the account of his company, Spaceweb Integrated Services Limited, kept with Wema Bank Plc.

He is said to be the Managing Director of Spaceweb Integrated Services Limited and sole signatory to the bank’s account.

The charge reads: “That you, AVM Olutayo Tade Oguntoyinbo, whilst serving as Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Air Force, and the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director as well as the sole signatory to the account of Spaceweb Integrated Services Limited with Wema Bank Plc on or about July 11, 2014, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did accept a gift in the sum of one hundred and sixty-six million naira (N166m) from Société D’ Equipment Internationaux Nigeria Limited, a contractor with the Nigerian Air Force in the performance of your official act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission Act and punishable under Section 17(c) of the same Act.”

AVM Oguntoyinbo, who came to court from the custody of the Air Force and escorted by an Air Force officer, was ordered remanded in prison tillJune 6 when his bail application would be heard, despite pleas by his counsel, that he be returned to NAF custody.