Magistrate Mrs. Kafayat Tella of an Ebute-Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court has ordered the remand in prison custody of a suspected fraud syndicate operating in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
The Magistrate had granted the four suspects bail following their arraignment and plea of not guilty.
Among the four syndicates that were arraigned before the court an Islamic cleric, Hafeez Imoleayo, Mushirafat Salaam, Saidi Ajayi, and Uthman Rahmon.
They were all charged with eleven counts of conspiracy, compelling action by intimidation, unlawful possession of charm, stealing, threatening to kill, obtaining money by false pretence, involuntary manslaughter, perjury, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace preferred against them by the police.
The prosecutor, Inspector Olatunde Kehinde, told the court that the incident happened between 2010 and 2022, at No. 3, Olabode Agboola Close, off Erunwen Junction Ikorodu area of Lagos.
Kehinde told the court that the first and second defendants and others now at large conspired unlawfully with gross negligence and disregard for human life and failed to protect one Moridiyyat Okeowo, which resulted in her untimely death.
He said the first defendant obtained the sum of N105.5m from one Oluwasegun Animashaun with the pretence of helping him buy four BRT buses and 10 acres of land at Ikorodu.
The prosecutor further told the court that the second defendant Salaam at the same time obtained $9,000 from the complainant Animashaun with the pretence of helping him to buy land at Ikorodu.
Kehinde also alleged that the third defendant Ajayi obtained a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV valued at N5.6m from Animashaun with the pretence of helping him to sell it.
The prosecutor told Magistrate Mrs. Kafayat Tella that the fourth defendant, Rahmon, obtained $11, 573 from the complainant with the pretence of helping him to buy land at Ikorodu, a representation he knew was false.
According to the prosecutor, the total amount involved was N127.6m, property of the complainant, Animashaun.
Kehinde said the offences committed contravened Sections 411, 224 (1) (2), 314, 287, 86, 237, 133 (b), and 168 (1) (d) (f) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Consequently, Magistrate Tella admitted them to bail in the sum of N4m each with two sureties each in like sum.
The case was adjourned till October 10, 2023, for mention.
