29th March, 2023
By Paul Iyoghojie
Operatives of the X- SQUAD of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Alagbon close, Ikoyi, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria have arrested four suspected fraudsters and charged them before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly purchasing N7,300,000 frozen fish with fake cheques and escaped.
Also charged with them was the alleged receiver of the goods in Mushin area of Lagos, Bolanle Ajayi, 61.
Police alleged that three of the defendants, Kenneth Ekene Asoegwu, 48, Michael Ugwunna Okoro, aka Amos, 58, and Adeyinka Taiwo, aka Baba Ibeji, 58, allegedly connived to purchase the frozen fish from the management of Seven Strategy Limited with Cloned First Bank of Nigeria cheques bearing Nenny foods and escaped, unknown to the complainant that the cheques the defendants presented to purchase the goods were fake.
Police further alleged that trouble started for the defendants when the complainant presented the cheques at the bank for payment, the bank officials told the complainant that the N7.3m cheques were fake.
Following the development, the complainant petitioned the Inspector-Generator of Police, I-GP about the matter and he referred the case to the X- SQUAD section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Alagbon close, Ikoyi, Lagos for detailed investigation.
The officer in charge of the X- SQUAD swiftly directed his crack team led by SP Saheed Omosanya to fish out the fleeing suspects anywhere they might be hiding.
The Police team swung into action and through intelligence gathering tracked the defendants to their hideout and arrested them.
The defendants were charged before the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court sitting at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and stealing.
Police Prosecuting Counsel, Susan Ezema informed the Court in the charge Marked B/13/2023 that the defendants committed the offence between December 2022 and February 2023 in the Ejigbo area of Lagos.
Ezema told the Court presided over by Magistrate, B.A Sonuga that three of the defendants used cloned First Bank of Nigeria cheques to purchase N7.3m frozen fish from the management of Seven Strategy Limited and fled to sell the goods to the receiver, Bolanle Ajayi at Mushin area of Lagos, unknown to the complainant that the cheques bearing Nenny foods the defendants presented to them to purchase the fish were Cloned.
Ezema said that the complainant discovered that the cheques were fake when they presented them before the bank for payment leading to the arrest of the defendants.
She said the offences, the defendants committed were contrary to and punishable under sessions 323, 312(1)(g)(b) 2, 312(3), 318 and 316(1) of Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015 and 2011.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and their Counsel, Barr. Anayo Agbo prayed the Court to grant the defendants bail in the most liberal terms pledging that the defendants would not jump bail if granted.
Magistrate, Sonuga granted them N500,000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum.
Sonuga adjourned the case till 2 May 2023 for mention and ordered that the defendants be detained at the Ikoyi and Kirikiri correctional facilities till they perfected the bail conditions.