Saturday, November 24, 2018

A travelling agent, AbdulGaniyu Olobi, of No 17, Olobi Compound, Adabata, Ilorin, who allegedly defrauded a woman under the pretense of securing her travelling documents to Mecca to perform hajj, has been dragged before an Ilorin Magistrates’ Court.

The 38-year-old accused was brought before the court on a three-count charge of criminal breach of trust, cheating and advanced fee fraud, which are contrary to Sections 312, 322 and 1(3) of Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences, Act 2006.

The accused was indicted following a petition written on September 11, 2018 to the commissioner of police, Kwara State Command, Ilorin by the victim, Mrs Abdullahi Amina Ajoke, that the accused swindled her.

According to the petition, sometime in the month of May, 2018, the accused overheard the victim while discussing issues of Hajj pilgrimage with one of her friends and the following day, he went to meet her and introduced himself as an agent.

The accused allegedly cajoled and defrauded the victim of the sum of N1.5 million, which she paid through UBA account number 1018250214 with account name, Hajara Laswad, after the accused lied that he would help process her documents for hajj pilgrimage.

The Police First Information Report (FIR) stated that it was discovered that all the documents the accused gave to the victim were fake.

However, the accused denied the allegation.

The prosecutor, ASP AbdulQadir Jimoh, said all efforts to recover the victim’s money from the accused proved abortive.

The prosecutor added that investigation is still in progress, objected bail of the accused and urged the court to remand him in prison custody pending the outcome of investigation.

The defense counsel, Barrister AbdulGaniyu Bello, prayed the court to release the accused on bail since he had been given police administration bail, which he never abused.

The judge, JB Salihu, upheld the submission of the defense, as he admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N400, 000 and three sureties in like sum and adjourned the case for further mention.

Source: https://leadership.ng/2018/11/24/agent-in-court-over-n1-5m-hajj-fraud/