Alleged Scam: Court Remands Suspected Money Doubler in Prison

Wale Igbintade

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday remanded one Olalekan Mutholib accused of money-doubling scam through diabolical means by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Nicholas Oweibo made the order following Mutholib’s “not guilty” plea to a five-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.

According to the charge marked FHC/L/23c/2022, the defendant and one Nurudeen Gbolagade Rasheed (now at large), sometime in 2021 in Lagos, and with intent to defraud allegedly conspired with others at large, to obtain the sums of $50,000, $30,909.06, $20,000 and N1,050,000.60.

The agency claimed that the $50,000 was obtained from one Raji Babatunde.

The defendants were accused of falsely representing themselves “as possessing power or capable of doubling or otherwise increasing the said sum through the medium of invocation of juju or other an invisible entity.”

Prosecuting counsel, Bilkisu Buhari said the offences contravened Section 8(a), 2(b) and Section 2(c) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 of the Act.

Following Mutholib’s plea, his counsel Oludare Adetoki informed the court that he had filed an application for bail but had only just served the prosecution.

EFCC lawyer opposed the bail application, but prayed the court to adjourn for her to file a counter-affidavit against the bail application.

Granting her prayer, Justice Oweibo adjourned till March 1, 2022, to take arguments for and against the motion for bail.