BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Police in Osun State have arraigned two men before a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital for allegedly swindling some unsuspecting members of the public in separate cases at different times and places in the state.
A 35-year-old-man, Oladele Ismail Elewu, was accused of fraudulently obtaining the sum of N400, 000 from one Olalekan Aliu under the pretense of selling a plot of land to him but later disappeared with the money.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Kayode Asanbe, told the court that Elewu committed the offence on November 12, 2022 in Ede, alleging further that the defendant converted the money to his own use without showing or giving the victim any land for the money paid.
The charge against him read that “You, Oladele Ismail Elewu, on 12th of November, 2022, in Ede, in the Ede Magisterial District, did obtain the sum of N400,000 from one Olalekan Aliu with the pretense of selling a plot of land to him known to you to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State, 2002.
“You, on the same date and time, did unlawfully convert the sum of N400,000 to your own use, property of one Olalekan Aliu and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State, 2002.”
Elewu pleaded not guilty to the offences.
The defense counsel, M. O. Akinwade, applied orally for his bail, saying that he would provide reliable persons as sureties.
Magistrate I. R. Ladipo granted the accused person bail in the sum of N200, 000 with one surety in the same amount. She said that the surety must be a gainfully employed relative of the defendant and shall be a taxpayer.
In another case, the police docked a 35-year-old-man, Musbau Yekinni, in court on the allegation that he defrauded his client to the tune of N40, 000 and stole an electric motor engine.
The defendant, a mechanic, was said to have committed the offence sometime in 2019 by collecting the sum of N25, 000 from one Oyedeji Sulaiman under the pretense of using it to repair the faulty motor part, which he failed to do.
The charge against him read that “Musbau Yekinni, sometime in the year 2019, at Dagbolu area, Osogbo, in the Osogbo Magisterial District, did fraudulently convert cash sum of N40,000 given to you for the repair of electric motor to your own use, which is the property of one Oyedeji Sulaiman.”
According to the police prosecutor, Inspector Kayode Adeoye, Yekinni stole one unserviceable electric motor engine, property of one Oyedeji Sulaiman and conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by obtaining cash sum of N25,000, in pretence of using it to repair the electric motor engine knowing full well that it was no more in existence.
The defendant was said to have committed offences contrary to Section 383(I) and punishable under sections 390(9) and 249(D) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State, 2002.
Yekinni pleaded not guilty to the offence without any legal representation.
The Magistrate granted him bail in the sum of N20, 000 with one surety in the same amount.
The matters were adjourned till January 26, 2023 for hearing.
