N220m Faud: Abuja Federal High Court Grants Man N10m Bail, Denies Two As Lagos State Highh Couth Sentence One to Imprisonment

 Lekan Arigbabuwo

Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Friday, July 1, 2016, granted bail to Obaje Musa Mohammed, one of the three accused persons charged for offences of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N220million by the EFCC.

Mohammed and his co-accused, Dayo Jimoh and Victor Ochola who were arraigned on June 22, 2016, on a 27-count for allegedly defrauding one Mohammed Jibrin, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Suntrust Savings and Loans Limited, with a promise that they could help him secure some government houses purportedly being sold by the Ad-hoc Committee on sale of Federal Government houses.
However, the defendants issued forged offer letter and payment receipts to the victim after he had made payment vide bank drafts to various accounts belonging to the accused persons.

In the suit, Jimoh, Ochola and Mohammed were charged as first, second and third defendants respectively.

Justice Mohammed refused to admit the first defendant (Jimoh) to bail on the ground that, he had repeatedly proved to be unreliable in making himself available to the EFCC when granted administrative bail, a situation that had caused some of his sureties to withdraw from the matter.

However, the judge granted bail to Mohammed in the sum of N10million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must have landed properties within Abuja. The title documents of the properties are to be submitted with the Court Registrar deposited along with the international passport of the defendant.

The first defendant is not to travel out of the country pending determination of case. The two sureties are to submit two recent passport photographs.

The case is adjourned to October 12, 2016 for trial.‪

Also today Friday July 1, 2016, the EFCC secured the conviction of Lekan Arigbabuwo to one year imprisonment in a case of conspiracy and stealing before Justice Lawal Akapo of Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja.

Arigbabuwo was arrested by the operatives of EFCC following a petition by Ogundele Oluwatoba who claimed the convict stole and conspired to swindle him of N6.3 Million by posing as a herbalist, an offence punishable under Section 409 of Criminal Code, Cap. A452 No. 11, Laws of Lagos State 2011 and under section 285 of Criminal Code, Cap. A 410. No. 11, Laws of State, 2011. 

Arigbabuwo who was arraigned on 3 counts chrage, later changed his non guilty plea to guilty under a plea bargain arrangement.‪#‎Conviction‬. ‪#‎EFCC‬ ‪#‎Fraud‬