15th October, 2022
By Paul Iyoghojie
A fleeing businessman accused of duping three customers has been arrested by operatives of Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Lagos.
Tarii Adus Azibamugbon, 27, was accused of obtaining N35,000,000 from three unsuspecting members of the public under false pretence.
He was accused of collecting the money by the three complainants-Nicholas Aderechi, Chidibem Kalu and Richmond Okoriguo, to help them invest the money in a high interest yielding forex trading.
Instead, the suspect was accused of switched off his phones and fled after collecting the money.
The complainants petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and referred the case to the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria for immediate action.
The AIG gave a marching order to his crack team to fish out the suspect anywhere he might be hiding and the Police arrested him at a hideout in Lagos through intelligence gathering and tracking.
Azibamugbon was charged before the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court sitting at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Nigeria on three count charges bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.
Police Counsel, Amedu Adoga informed the court in the charge marked P/23/2022 that the defendant committed the offence between March 2019 and November 2021 in Lagos.
Adoga told the Court that the accused tricked the three complainants and collected N35,000,000 from them to help invest in a high-interest yielding forex trading, but that after collecting the money from the complainants, he failed to fulfill the promise and instead converted the money to his use and escaped before he was arrested.
He said the offences, the accused committed were punishable under sessions 411, 314 and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and Magistrate A.A Paul granted him N2m bail with two sureties in like sum.
Paul adjourned the case till 29 November, 2022 for mention and ordered that the defendant be detained at the Ikoyi correctional facility till he perfected the bail conditions.