5 Ex-Teachers Charged With school fees fraud

Five former teachers of Home Science Association School on Buxton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, have been arrested by operatives at the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Milverton Road, Lagos, for alleged collection of school fees from at least199 parents of students amounting to N13,164,855 with forged bank tellers.

They were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on a 7-count charge of felony to wit, forgery and stealing.

The police prosecutor, SP Emerho Frank, told the court in suit No. S/2/2013 that the accused persons were arrested following complaints lodged by the management of Home Science Association School, Ikoyi, Lagos, that the defendants Kassim Ajide Ibrahim, 52, Dele Adegbuji, 46, Festus Arokimola, 52, Mrs. F. Atitiab, 50 and Dupe Joseph, 39 between the months of February 2010 and November 2012, allegedly conspired with the accountant of the school (now at large) to defraud them of N13,164,855, being school fees of 199 students of the school with forged Skye Bank tellers.

He stated that the accused used their positions as teachers of the school to forge the bank tellers to collect the school fees from the parents of students and issued them with fake tellers without the knowledge of the school management.

Explaining further, he said the fraud was uncovered when the management of the school audited its account and in the process discovered that millions of naira was missing. They reported the matter to the police.

SP Frank stated that police investigation revealed that Ajide Ibrahim collected schools fees from 19 students, Oladele Adegbuji, 31, Mrs. Atitiab, 73 and Dupe Joseph, 76.

Some of the victims, according to him include Mr. & Mrs. Ezeanyim, Mrs. Ojora, Dr. Douglas Jombo,  Alameen Mohammed, Mrs. Molik Nollah and others.

The offences, according to the prosecutor, are contrary to and punishable under Sections 409, 363(30), 312 (i) (2) (3) (9) and 285 (9) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and the presiding magistrate Mrs. Oshodi Makanju admitted them to bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties in like sum who must own landed properties in Lagos State.

The magistrate also directed that the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State government. She adjourned the matter till 15 February, 2013 for mention.

The defendants were moved to Ikoyi and Kirikiri Prisons pending when they would meet their bail conditions.

—Paul Iyoghojie