Police Re-arraign 3 For Defrauding Lagos Speaker Of N9.1m
The Police in Lagos on Monday re-arraigned three men, accused of allegedly defrauded the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa of the sum of N9, 188 before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The police had earlier in August arraigned the men before Justice Chuka Obiozor, during the annual vacation of the court, on a five-count charge of conspiracy, impersonation, identity theft and fraud.
The accused persons: Frank Nwokobia, 27, Ezeoke Kanayochukwu, 25, and Godwin Essien, 28, were re-arraigned before Justice Oguntoyinbo on Monday following the re-assignment of case by the Chief Judge of tge Federal High Court.
According to the police prosecuting counsel, William Olu Ologun, the trio, sometime in May, hacked Obasa’s Facebook account and retrieved information with which they withdrew N9.1million from his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc account.
Ologun said following Obasa’s complain to the police, the accused persons were arrested by at different locations in Delta State.
He alleged that they confessed to the crime. The offences, he added, were contrary to Sections 27(1)(b) and 22(2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2015 and punishable under same.
The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Their lawyer, Ali Abba, urged the court to grant bail to his client “on liberal terms.”
Ali informed the judge that the accused persons had credible sureties and would always be available for trial.
In a short ruling, Justice Oguntoyinbo admitted the accused persons bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety each.
She held, “The sureties must be recommended by the defendants’ lawyer, must reside in Lagos, own landed property and be tax compliant.”
