The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a prison remand for a lawyer for advance fee fraud.
A Lagos based legal practitioner, Babatunde Ojo,
has been remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison for multi-million naira
fraud running well over N117 million, by a High Court sitting at Ikeja.
Ojo was dragged to the court presided over by Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a 48-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and issuance of dud cheques.
Though
Ojo pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, Justice Ipaye,
however, ordered that the defendant be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum
Prison and adjourned the case till March 18 and 19 for trial.
The
EFCC, through its Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, had
revealed that Ojo allegedly used his company, Amberville Communications
Limited, to obtain the sum of N117, 350, 000 from a couple, Mr. and
Mrs. Mathew Awodiya of First Hebron Homes and Investment Limited, in the
guise of allocating 50 shops at HFP Eastline Shopping Complex, Ajah,
Lagos, to them.
"The victims were allegedly
linked to Ojo by one of the directors of the Shopping Complex. They was
told that the amount per shop was N4,000,000, with 50 shops, costing
N200,000,000.
The victims negotiated for 50 shops but paid a deposit of N117, 350,000.
However,
the director that linked the victim with Ojo later denied knowledge of
any transaction for sale of shops with the suspect, and invariably
debunked claims of having received payment from the suspect.
All efforts to get a refund of the money paid for the shops proved abortive."
Justice
Ipaye, however, ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison and
adjourned the matter till March, 18 and 19, 2015 for trial.
