Breaking: Naira Marley’s former lawyer bags two years in prison over N4m bribe

On Thursday, a Special Offenses Court in Ikeja, Lagos, condemned Taiwo Oreagba to two years in prison for asking for an N4 million bribe.

On a second count of taking money under false pretenses, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, the court, however, dismissed the attorney.

After a two-year trial, Ms. Oreagba, who had defended the performer Naira Marley, was found guilty.

She was first presented to Justice Sherifat Solebo of the Special Offenses Court in Ikeja on November 12, 2020 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In response to a two-count accusation involving an alleged corrupt demand and receiving the N4 million through false pretense, she entered a not guilty plea.

Ms. Oreagba, a lawyer for Kelechi Uka, who was under investigation by the EFCC at the time, allegedly acquired the N4 million from Henry Umoh in order to persuade EFCC investigators into securing Mr. Uka’s release.

Mr. Uka is being investigated by the Lagos State High Court for theft-related offenses.

Ms. Oreagba was accused of perpetrating the offense on or about March 2, 2020, in Lagos.

The trial started after the defendant entered a plea, at which point she was given bail.

However, Justice Solebo withdrew from the case during the trial and it was returned to the Chief Judge for reassignment.

Justice Taiwo was then given the case.

Mr Oreagba was re-arraigned on the two counts and the trial commenced before Justice Taiwo in October 2022.

The defendant boasted that she could get a pardon for her clients by giving EFCC workers Sini Oma John and Femi Olukinni and their team a fraction of the N4,000,000 in order to influence them, according to the audio tape played by the prosecution in front of five witnesses.

Throughout the trial, Ms. Oreagba encouraged Mr. Umoh to give her the cash, according to Mr. Umoh’s account. He said she never provided a receipt.

According to Mr. Umoh, who is the second prosecution witness (PW), the money the defendant allegedly requested from him was not for her professional expenses but rather for the cash she allegedly intended to give EFCC operatives.

Messrs. John and Olukinni were mentioned by Ms. Oreagba in the tape, although they denied speaking with