A man who claimed to be a dealer in animal Skins, Ifeanyichukwu Philip, has been arraigned by the Police for allegedly defrauding a China national, Feng Zhao Zhu, of the sum of N10 million, under the pretence of supplying him donkey skins.
The 49 year-old Ifeanyichukwu was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Afolashade Bokoku, on charges bordering on obtaining under false pretence, fraudulent conversion and stealing, by the men of General Investigation Department of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (ForceIID), Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
The police in the charge marked B/04/19, alleged that the defendant committed the offence on or about March 8, 2017, at 272A, Cooperation Estate, Festac Town, Lagos.
Arraigning the defendant on Friday, the prosecutor, Barrister Morufu Animashaun, told the court that the defendant after receiving the sum of N10 million through his Polaris Bank account number
1040560081, became evasive and never contacted the complainant.
Animashaun told the court that the complainant, when he discovered that he had been scammed by defendant wrote a petition to his office and upon diligent investigation of the petition, the defendant was apprehended and during interrogation he confessed receiving the money from the complainant.
The prosecutor told the court that upon the confession of the defendant, charges of obtaining under false pretence, fraudulent conversion and stealing was preferred against him.
He told the court that the offences are contrary to and punishable under sections 314(3) and 285(5)(a) of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following his plea of not guilty, his lawyer, C. O. Idowu, orally urged the court to admit him for bail in the most liberal terms, as he is a first term offender and that what happened between his client and the complainant was purely business transaction.
Upon his lawyer’s plea, the presiding Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Botoku, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.
The magistrate also ordered the that sureties must be gainful employed, reside within the court’s jurisdiction and must have evidence of three years tax payment and utility bills to the Lagos State government.
The magistrate while adjourning the matter till February 21, for trial, ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody pending meeting all the bail terms.
