16th September, 2015
A 34-year-old man, Benson Abayomi, who allegedly refused to pay the salaries of his workers, was on Wednesday brought before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, western Nigeria.
Benson, the manager of Trove Creative Resources, who lives at 54, Alaha Abose St., Ogudu in Ojota area of Lagos, is being tried for a three-count offence of obtaining money by false pretences, cheating his workers and stealing.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that seven employees came to the Ogudu Police Station to report the case.
He gave the names of the complainants as Adams Oluwatoyin, Onabanjo Blessing, Bakare Oladotun, Daodu Monday, Sylvester Joseph, Okenu Rosemary and Babatunde Tope.
According to Ihiehie, the complainants alleged that they had not been paid for the past two months since they started working for Benson.
“They were not paid salary for two months; all they have been getting is excuses from him.
“Adams who spoke on behalf of others told the police that they all heard about Trove Creative Resources on a radio programme called the Job Show.
“The radio programme which is broadcast every Wednesday at 10 a.m. advertised job vacancies for administrative and sales executives.
“They all applied for the job and sometime in April and May they were all asked to pay N5,000 each for their certificates,’’ he said.
The prosecutor said the accused promised the complainants a salary of N60,000 per month, but after two months he failed to pay them.
Ihiehie told the court that the accused pastor held a meeting with the complainants, begged them and promised that the accused would pay them on July 20.
“On July 22, Adams and Blessing traced him to his house at 54, Alaha Abose St., Ogudu, and met him washing his clothes.
“On sighting them, the accused told them to wait for him to finish washing his clothes, promising to take them to a nearby ATM point.
“While on their way the accused stopped in front of Ogudu Police Station and started shouting and calling the complainants thieves.
“As a result of this, the police came out to arrest the situation.’’
The offences contravened sections 285, 312 and 321 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 312 stipulates the highest penalty of 15 years imprisonment for offenders.
The employer, however, denied the charges, saying he is a project supervisor of the company and not the owner.
Counsel to the accused, Mr Rufus Kayode and Mr I.O. Ojei urged the court to grant him bail on liberal terms.
In her ruling, the Magistrate, Mrs O. Sule-Amzat, granted the accused bail in the sum of N20,000 with one surety in like sum.
Amzat also said the surety must show evidence of employment, residence and tax payment to the state government as part of the bail condition.
Hearing in the case has been fixed for 21 October, 21.