The police have arraigned a 52-year-old lawyer, Francis Azuh, for allegedly defrauding a client, Ken Egbuike, of N10m.
Azuh was arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on two counts of obtaining under false pretences and stealing.
It was learnt that the complainant had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the matter since November 15, 2015.
According to the police, the petition stated that Egbunike bought a parcel of land at the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos.
After the acquisition, he engaged the
service of the lawyer to process the documents for the property from the
Lagos State Government.
It was alleged that the lawyer demanded the payment of the money which was allegedly transferred into his bank accounts.
Azuh was alleged to have converted the money to personal use. He was thereafter arrested and arraigned on two counts.
The charges read in part, “That you,
Francis Azuh, between the months of January 2015, and August 2015, at
about noon at Union Bank, Marina, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did
fraudulently obtain the sum of N10m from one Mr. Ken Egbunike by false
pretences to process and secure title documents at the Lagos State
Ministry of Land, a representation you knew to be false.”
The police prosecutor, Cyriacus Osuji,
said the offences were punishable under sections 285 and 348 of the
Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected summary trial. The magistrate, Mrs. O.M. Ajayi, who
stood in for the resident magistrate, Mrs. A.T. Omoyele, admitted him to
bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The case was adjourned till April 28, 2016 for mention.
The Punch
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