THE Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Adebayo Muhammed, over allegations of obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of about N4 million.

EFCC’s Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Tony Orilade, made this known in a statement on Thursday, in which he stated that the crime was committed in 2015.

According to Orilade, Muhammed, who currently represents Malete/Ipuru Constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, allegedly “sold some plots of land which did not belong to him to a group of teachers, and issued receipts to the buyers in the name of a non-existent company”.

Since the fraudulent transaction, Muhammed has consistently resisted all attempts by his victims to recover their money.

“After paying about N4million to the lawmaker, we decided to carry out survey on the plots of land, so as to put our survey number in the Deed of Transfer between him and us but only to discover through the officials of the Kwara State Ministry of Land and Housing that the said plots of land belonged to the Federal Ministry of Land and Housing,” Orilade quoted the complainants as saying.

“Other people who also wanted to develop the plots of land he sold to them were equally barred from constructing anything on it.”

Orilade said Muhammed would soon be charged to court.

Last week, the EFCC arraigned four officials of the Kwara State Government House on charges bordering on money laundering, embezzlement of public funds and abuse of office.

The officials include Abubakar Ishiak, the Permanent Secretary; Shina Mudasir Akorede, the Director of Administration and Finance; Rasaq Momonu, the Controller of Finance and Account, and Hafeez Yusuf, a Cashier.

They were arraigned last Thursday before Justice Babangana Ashigar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin.

Similarly, the Guardian reports on Thursday that several other top officials of the Kwara State Government have been arrested by the EFCC for allegedly withdrawing over N1 billion from the state’s account days before the Governorship election in February.

They include the Commissioner for Finance, Nurudeen Banu; Accountant General, Sulaiman Ishola; Commissioner for Water Resources, Yusuf Abdulkadir; Head of Service, Susan Modupe Oluwole; Special Adviser, Commissioner for Energy, Eleja Taiwo Banu; Chief of Staff, Abdulwahab Yusuf; officials of the Secretary to the State Government, and those of the Government House.