Former Rep Loses $1.362m, N46.5m To Alleged Fraudsters
Four men were on Monday re-arraigned before a Lagos Federal High Court by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) for allegedly obtaining the sum of $1.362 million and N46. 533 million, under false pretense, from a former House of Representatives member, Eseme Eyiboh.
The accused persons are Izekor Osatohanmwen Ogiemonyi, alias Prince Joshua Akenzua; Stephen Victor, alias James Ajayi; Bolade Babatunde, alias Hon. Lawal Adewunmi, and Alhaji Jimoh Saka, alias Tola Ajayi.
SFU, in a charge marked FHC/L/435c/2017, filed before the court by Mr. E. A. Jackson, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), alleged that the accused persons and others now at large had, between June 2016 and August 2017, at Jatoz Royal Hotel, Osolo Way, Ajao Estate, Lagos, conspired among themselves, and presented themselves to one Hon. Eseme Sunday Eyiboh, a former House of Representatives member from Eket Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, as accredited representatives of International Foreign Exchange Monitoring Agency/Bureau in Nigeria.
The police alleged that the accused persons also fraudulently collected the sum of $1.362 million in three tranches of $1.230 million, $20, 000, and $112, 000, and the sum of N46. 533 million, from their victim, Hon. Eyiboh, with the pretense that they could use his position, as a federal lawmaker, to deliver vehicles and industrial machines at affordable and official exchange rates.
The police also alleged that the fourth accused person, Alhaji Jimoh Saka, alias Peter Ajayi, supplied other accused with the bank accounts domiciled in First Bank, Diamond Bank, and First City Monument Bank (FCMB) into which the sum of N46. 533 million was paid by Eyiboh, and later handed over the money to other accused persons.
The offences are contrary to sections 8(a), 1(1)(a) and 8(9), and punishable under sections 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, No.14 of 2006.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Their counsel prayed the court to admit their clients’ bail application in liberal terms.
But the prosecutor, CSP Jackson, urged the court to reject the bail application.
He specifically objected to the third accused person, Bolade Babatunde, alias Hon. Lawal Adewunmi, bail on the grounds that he had no means of livelihood, and granting him bail application would be dangerous to the society.
Justice Muslim Hassan adjourned the matter till January 19 for ruling on the bail application, while he fixed February 19 for the commencement of trial.
The judge, however, ordered that the four accused persons be remanded in prison custody pending determination of their bail request.
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