Lagos Court remands teacher over alleged fraudulent bid to take over dead customer’s account

By Paul Iyoghojie

A 42-year-old Lagos teacher, Olusola Olusegun, has been remanded in custody after being arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly attempting to fraudulently assume control of the bank account of a deceased customer of an old generation bank.

Olusegun, a resident of Sanyo Street, Ikorodu, was accused of conspiring with others still at large to present forged military pension board documents, falsely claiming to be Olusola Olayemi Gabriel, the next of kin of the late account holder.

Police said the alleged scheme was uncovered when managers of the bank forwarded the documents to the Nigeria Military Pension Board for verification, only for them to be declared fake. The bank subsequently alerted the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ikoyi Division, who deployed officers to arrest the suspect.

Following investigations, Olusegun was arraigned before the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, sitting at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island, on a four-count charge bordering on forgery and impersonation.

Police prosecutor, Reuben Solomon, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on 13 September 2018 at a the bank’s branch in Lagos, in violation of sections 411, 365, 406, and 380 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.

Olusegun pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Mrs Oseni Wahab granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She, however, ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Facility pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned for further hearing.