A middle-aged man, Adamu Aminu was on Friday arraigned before an Ebute-Metta magistrates’ court for fraudulently collecting N1 million from an unsuspecting victim for a bogus orphanage falsely claimed to be owned by Lagos State deputy governor, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule.
Aminu (45), who was arraigned by the Lagos State government on a four-count charge before Chief Magistrate Oluyemisi Adelaja, was said to have perpetrated the crime sometime in August in the Agege area of the state.
In count one, the defendant (Aminu) allegedly conspired with others now at large to commit felony to wit obtaining money by false pretence, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
In count two, the defendant and others at large “Sometime in August 2017, at 1015 hours at Agege, Lagos State in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did fraudulently obtain the sum of One Million Naira only from one Bright Obed (M) on the pretence of soliciting for funds for a bogus orphanage which you falsely held out to be set up by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Her Excellency, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.”
In counts three and four, the defendant alongside others now at large, were accused of conspiring to impersonate a public officer and unlawfully postured as the Lagos State deputy governor by calling and sending SMS on a mobile number 09064583091 to the public as the said deputy governor, contrary to and punishable under Sections 380 and 411 of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
After the charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty while his lawyer, Mrs Uzuomaka Nwafor applied for bail on liberal terms.
