BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
An old woman, Serah Ojo, and her 24-year-old daughter, Oluwabukunmi Dorcas Ojo, have landed in trouble for allegedly spending the sum of N929, 472.36k that was mistakenly credited to their account by a bank customer.
A lady called Linda Faith Ekele was said to have mistakenly transferred the said amount of money to Oluwabukunmi’s Wema Bank account number.
Efforts to retrieve the said sum of money reportedly proved abortive.
It was gathered that the police arrested Ojo following a complaint lodged by Ekele at the Dugbe Police Station in Osogbo. Ojo was said to have told the Police that she gave her mother the sum of N100, 000 from the amount that was wrongfully deposited in her account.
After the arrest of the woman and her daughter, they were taken to a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Osogbo where they were charged with offences of conspiracy, unlawful conversion of money and stealing.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Shoyemi Bose, informed the court that the defendants committed the offences between August 24 and 26, 2021, at Dagbolu area, Osogbo.
The younger Ojo was accused of stealing money while her mother was charged with resisting police officers from arresting her daughter.
The charge against them read that “Oluwabukunmi Dorcas Ojo did fraudulently convert the total of N929,472.36k, which was mistakenly transferred into your Wema Bank account number 0233151760 by one Ekele Linda Faith to your own use.
“That you, Oluwabukunmi did steal N929,472.36k mistakenly transferred into your Wema Bank account number 0233151760, property of one Ekele Linda Faith.
“That you, Serah Ojo, did receive N100,000 from one Oluwabukunmi Dorcas Ojo, being the proceeds of stolen property belonging to one Ekele Linda Faith.
“That you, Serah Ojo, on September 20, 2021, at about 10am in front of your house in Osogbo did obstruct and resist police officers while performing their lawful duty from arresting one Ojo Oluwabukunmi Dorcas.”
The prosecutor informed the court that the defendants committed offences contrary to Section 383(1) and punishable under sections 197, 390(9) and 427 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, Laws of Osun State, 2002.
They pleaded not guilty to the five-count-charge brought against them. Their counsel, Kayode Ajayi, urged the court to grant them bail in liberal term.
Chief Magistrate A. A. Adebayo granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N500, 000 with one surety each in the same amount. The sureties, he said, must be civil servants not below grade level 6 in the public service of Osun State or house owners within the Magisterial District.
The case was adjourned till February 7 for mention.
