Two witnesses in the ongoing trial of Senator Ademola Adeleke on seven amended charges bordering on examination malpractice, on Wednesday told the Federal High Court Abuja that they did not see the senator in the examination hall.
The witnesses, Mr. Emmanuel Adesola and Enoch Adigun, both teachers, while being led in evidence by the prosecutor, Mr. Simon Lough, told the court that they invigilated examinations at Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School in Osun State in 2017.
Adesola told the court that when he got to the school, he asked for the school album but was told that it was not ready.
“I could not identify any student without the school album since it was my first time there. So, the principal and the registrar helped me to identify them as I used the list I had to call the students into the hall.
“I didn’t see any of the defendants in the examination hall. Senator Adeleke was not in the examination hall. He is a public figure, so, I would have recognised him,” the witness told the court.
The witness who further told the court that he had been supervising National Examination Council examination for the past five years, also told the court that there were four elderly students in the hall.
While being cross-examined by Mr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), the witness said he did not make a formal report on the absence of a school album to his superiors, even though he ought to have done so.
He also told the court that on the day he invigilated, he did not witness any form of examination malpractice in the hall.
On his part, Adigun told the court that he saw the second defendant, Sikiru Adeleke, in the examination hall while he (Adigun) was invigilating.
“I was surprised to see him (Sikiru Adeleke) because he was the most mature student in the hall. But when I checked and saw that he had an identity card duly stamped by the school, I had to allow him to write the examination,” Adigun said.
Adigun said that he didn’t see (Ademola) Adeleke in the examination hall or any of the other defendant besides Sikiru.
The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, adjourned the matter until June 10 and 11 for continuation of hearing.
Adeleke was first arraigned by the Federal Government in September 2018 on four counts bordering on examination malpractice, along with his brother, Sikiru Adeleke and three others.
The senator pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on self-recognizance by the court.
The others were Aregbesola Mufutau (Principal, Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro, Osun State); Gbadamosi Ojo (School Registrar) and Dare Olutope (a teacher).
The Police accused them of fraudulently registering in February 2017 Senator Ademola Adeleke and his brother Sikiru as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School in Ojo-Aro, Osun State, for the National Examination Council’s June/July 2017 Senior School Certificate Examination.
They were re-arraigned in December 2018 on seven amended charges bordering on examination malpractice.