24th April, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Two suspected fraudsters have been sent to Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, for allegedly forging Land Use Charge documents.
The suspects, Tunde Dunmoye and Bakai Shafau, were arrested sometime ago for allegedly forging the documents to defraud members of the public at Onigbongbo area of Lagos State.
They were charged before Ikeja Magistrate’s Court 1 on Wednesday by the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit.
They were arraigned on a three-count charge of forgery and defrauding members of the public.
The first count charge accused the suspects of conspiring to commit a felony to wit, forgery of Land Use Notices, which is contrary to Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The second count charge had it that the accused between 2012 to 22 January, 2014 at the Onigbogbo Local Council Development Area forged Land Use Charge Notice reference number 80024526 in respect of property situated at 13 Rev. Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 363 (1) Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The third count charge said the suspects fraudulently used fake blank Land Use Charge Notices and committed an offence contrary to Section 364 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and punishable under Section 363 (1) Law of Lagos State.
The two accused pleaded not guilty and were granted bail by Magistrate B.A. Fabanwo with two sureties each in like sum of N200,000.
The judge ordered that the sureties must not be civil servants and adjourned the case till 28 July, 2014.
The suspects were, however, sent to Kirikiri Prisons when they could not meet the bail conditions.