Symbol of Justice
Adebiyi Adedapo in Abuja
An Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu has remanded two people in prison custody over allegation of fraud amounting to about $281,000.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on June 14, 2012 arraigned the duo of Adeyemi Waheed, alias Ahmed Abbas and Ademola Olowoake Adeshina, alias Usman, over allegation of conspiracy, forgery and obtaining money under false pretences.
According to a statement signed by the Ag. Head, Media & Publicity of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, One of the two count charge reads: "That you, Waidi Adeyemi (alias Ahmed Abbas), Ademola Adeshina (alias Usman) and others now at large sometime between March and May, 2012 at Abuja did conspire to commit an offence to wit: obtaining money under false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act".
The accused were alleged to have obtained the sum of two hundred and eighty one thousand dollars ($281, 000.00) from one Bello Mohammed under the false pretence that they were going to produce American Dollars and British Pounds sterling for him but failed.
According to Uwujaren, the petitioner had alleged that the suspects defrauded him of the huge amount at different times between the 2nd week of March, and 3rd May, 2012 in the guise of processing some dollars and pound sterling currencies at the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, Abuja.
He stated that Investigations conducted in the house and premises of Waheed at Apo Legislative quarters, Zone D, Abuja, revealed incriminating documents, such as black paper cut in Dollar and Pounds Sterling sizes. A Honda Accord Saloon car with Registration No. FS548ABC was also recovered.
The Investigations, he said revealed that Adeshina, the 2nd accused person was a notorious fraudster, who was involved in serial fraud cases in 2003.
The two accused persons were said to have been arrested at the scene of crime by operatives of the EFCC.
Both accused persons according to the EFCC confessed to the crime.
"Waheed refunded N1, 000, 0000 out of the N11, 000,000 he claimed he has benefited from the crime while Adeshina refunded N600, 000 out of the N1, 000,000 he claimed he benefited," Uwajren stated.
Though the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the two count charges, the prosecution counsel, Barrister Mahmud Bello urged the court to remand them in prison custody "as they have the tendency of jumping bail."
Justice Ogakwu ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody and adjoined the case to June 20th, 2012 for hearing.