30th April, 2022
By Paul Iyoghojie
The Police at the Area ‘A’ Command of the Lagos State Police Command, Lion Building, Lagos Island, have arrested two suspected fraudsters and charged them before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly obtaining the sum of N50 million from a businesswoman, Ikimat Ola Iyanda under false pretence.
Police alleged that the defendants, Olayinka Okon, 59, and Daniel Ekpochi, 52, and others still at large allegedly collected the money from the complainant with a promise to supply her chemical but that the defendants failed to supply the chemical and instead converted the money to their use and escaped before they were arrested.
He said the offences the defendants committed were punishable under sessions 411,314 and 329 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and Magistrate Salam granted them N5m bail each with two sureties each in like sum.
Salam adjourned the case till 19 April, 2022 for mention and ordered that the defendants be detained at the Ikoyi correctional facility till they perfected the bail conditions.
The police further alleged that following the incident, the complainant reported the matter to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP in charge of Area ‘A’ Command, ACP Oluseye Odumbaku who directed his crack team led by Inspector Gboyega Oyeniyi to fish out the defendants anywhere they might be hiding.
The police tracked the defendants to a hideout in Lagos and arrested them after weeks of intelligence gathering.
The defendants were charged before the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court sitting at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island on a three-count bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.
Police Counsel, Friday Mameh told the court in the charge marked Q/10/2022 that the defendants committed the offence in September 2021 and March 2022 in Lagos.
Mameh stated that the defendants tricked the complainant and collected the sum of N50,000,000 from her to supply her chemical but that the defendants failed to supply the chemical and instead converted the money to their use.
He said the offences the defendants committed were punishable under sessions 411, 314 and 329 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and Magistrate Salam granted them N5 million bail each with two sureties each in like sum.