Police Charge 10 Persons for Allegedly Duping Businessman N313 million

Officers of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, Abuja, on Monday, charged eight persons and two firms before a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court over alleged N313.200 million fraud.Akala Anthony, 49: Umar Ali, 61: Saidi OK, 43: Bashir Mohammed, 44: Dr. Chukwuemeka Anyanwu, 50: Agboola Rasheed Gbade, 67: Nkechi Nwafor, 43: and Larry Balogun Otunba, 51; and two firms: Grantland Investment Nigeria Limited and Abroad Development Foundation were charged before Justice Hadiza Rabiu-Shagari, in charge number FHC/L/327c/17.

 

In the charge, the police alleged that all the defendants and others now at large, had on June 15, at Lekki, Lagos, conspired among themselves and fraudulently obtained the sums of N313.200 million from one Austin Albert, under the pretence of assisting him to buy $1 million.

 

The offences according to the prosecutors, Maroof Animashaun and Babatunde Oloyade, are contrary to sections 8(b) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

 

The scheduled arraignment of the defendants on Monday could, however, not go on, due to the absence of some of the defendants. While Messrs Anyanwu, Agboola, Nwafor, and Balogun, as well as the two firms were present in court, the rest of the defendants were absent.

 

The prosecutors pleaded with the judge for a short adjournment to enable the police present all the defendants before the court for their pleas to be taken together.

 

But Bala Usman and Akeem Balogun, counsels to the four defendants who were in court objected to the prosecutors’ plea, on the grounds that their clients had been in police custody for over four months without being granted administrative bail, while others were admitted to bail by the police.

 

The defendants’ lawyers urged the court to take the plea of their clients so that they could move their bail applications.

 

In response, the prosecutors told the court that the four defendants were remanded on the order of an Abuja court.

 

After listening to both parties, Justice Rabiu-Shagari, ordered the police to ensure that all the defendants present in court on the next adjourned for their pleas to be taken.

 

The matter was adjourned till October 12 for arraignment of all the defendants.