Multi-million dollars fraud: Court chides police over shoddy prosecution of film maker

Peter Fowoyo

For its lack-lustre approach in the ongoing trial of a film maker, Olajide Kazeem, popularly called Seun Egbegbe, arraigned over alleged multi-million dollars fraud, a Federal High Court on Thursday chides the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

Also charged before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo by the police are: Oyekan Ayomide, Lawal Kareem, Olalekan Yusuf and Muyideen Shoyombo.

At the resumed trial of the accused persons on yesterday, the prosecution failed again to produce it first witness, Insp Bello Abubakar who is testifing before the court.

The witness, Insp Abubakar had failed to appear in court to conclude his testimony despite several adjournment , the situation made the court to issue bench warrant against the witness at the last adjourned date.

The prosecutor , Innocent Anyigor informed the court of various attempt to get the witness who he said was out of the jurisdiction of the court.

But the court expressed it disappointment over the ways and manners the police is handling the case.

Justice Oguntoyinbo ordered the prosecutor to produce the witness unfailingly on October 18 , in order not to strike out the testimony of the witness.

It would be recalled that Egbegbe and his co-accused were re-arraigned by the police in a third amended charge marked FHC/L/40c/2017, on charges bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and fraud in the sum of N39, 098,100, $90,000 and £12,550, belonging to over 30 Bureau De Change Operators.

The police alleged that the defendants defrauded the BDC operators mostly by falsely representing to the victims that they had foreign currencies to sell to or buy from the BDC operators.

The police alleged, for instance, that on February 2, 2017, Egbegbe and his co-defendants fraudulently obtained the sums of N2.45m and £,3,000 from one Alhaji Isa Adamu in Lagos under the guise that they wanted to see the naira and buy the pounds.

Among other victims of the alleged frauds by Egbegbe were
Mohammed Sanni, who was allegedly defrauded of N2.46m on 2017 New year day; Jubrila Ado, allegedly defrauded of N1.257m on September 9, 2016; Hassan Amodu, allegedly defrauded of N600,000 in January 2016; Sanni Hassan, defrauded of N1.43 and £2,750 in August 2015; Saidi Abdullahi, defrauded of N700,000 on April 18, 2016; Atairu Abdullahi, defrauded of N1m on June 23, 2016; and Abdullahi Babadisa, defrauded of N650,000 in January 2016.

The police prosecutor, Mr. Innocent Anyigor, told the court that Egbegbe and the others acted contrary to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and were liable to be punished under Section 1(3) of the same.