ECONOMIC CRIMES COMMISSION ARRAIGNS TWO FOR INTERNET FRAUD

He said, in view of their plea, the prosecuting counsel, Mabas Mabur, applied for a date for trial and urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody. The counsel to the first defendant, Kehinde Olawunmi filed an application praying the court to admit the first defendant to bail, while counsel to the second defendant also aligned himself with the submission of Kehinde.

The statement said, Justice Ajoku, however, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N2million each and two sureties in like sum, adding that one of the sureties for each shall be a civil servant not below grade level 14 with the Federal or Oyo State Government.

The court further ruled that the surety must have a landed property which must be covered by a Certificate of Occupancy which must be deposited with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court,and also emphasized that sureties must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and will be verified by the prosecution.

One of the charges read: “That you, Akinwunmi Akubulejo and Dominic Obinna Ebisike and Harrison Duru, a.k.a. Emeka Chukwu and one K. C. (both now at large), in February, 2017, in Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, conspired to obtain the sum of Two Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira, under false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

The commission explained that, the journey to the dock for the defendants followed a petition to the Commission alleging that sometimes in 2017 the complainant (name withheld) who resides in California, United States of America, received a phone call allegedly emanating from the defendants.

The statement added further, that the defendant allegedly claimed to be a staff of his bank and informed him that he is calling to assist him set up a silver account he requested, and asked him of his token number which he obliged.

The agency spokesman said, the complainant, immediately, transferred the sum of N200,000.00 was  out of his account fourteen times making a total of N2, 800,000.00., and It was thereafter  he realized he had been duped.

Meanwhile, the case is adjourned to February 27, 2019 for trial.