The 10-year-old trial of a former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, for alleged N4.7bn fraud came to a close on Tuesday after the ex-governor testified in his own defence before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been prosecuting Ladoja alongside a former Oyo State Commissioner for Finance, Waheed Akanbi, since 2008.
The anti-graft agency accused Ladoja and Akanbi of conspiring to divert N4.7bn out of the funds realised from the sales of Oyo State shares in some banks.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Tuesday, Ladoja mounted the witness box in a bid to convince the court of his innocence.
Led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr Bolaji Onilenla, Ladoja said his travails began in 2005 when his political godfather, the late Lamidi Adedibu, demanded that the security votes for the state should be handed over to him.
He said following his refusal to hand over the Oyo State security votes to the late Adedibu, the late strong man of Ibadan politics organised some members of the Oyo State House of Assembly to impeach him.
Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned till January 18, 2019, for final written addresses after which a date would be fixed for judgment.
