The police on Thursday arraigned three persons before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding one Mr Adeyemi Moshood of N5 million with pretext of selling him a building.
The three persons are Ehidiame Airebun, 48; Felix Airebun, 36; and Sarah Akande, 39; are facing a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, burglary, obtaining money under false pretences and theft.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecutor, ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde, told the court that the defendants committed the offences in August 2020 at Abule-Egba, Lagos.
He said that the defendants fraudulently obtained N5 million from Mr Moshood with pretext of selling to him a one-storey building at lintel level, property of the late Mr Imafidon Airebun.
“The defendants collected the money from the complainant to sell to him an uncompleted building, a representation they knew to be false.
“When the complainant later got to the house, he was denied access and efforts to retrieve his money proved unsuccessful.”
Ayorinde said that the defendants also unlawfully broke into the house of the late Airebun and stole his house document.
“The defendants burgled the dwelling house of the deceased and carted away his house document.
“They also exhumed the body of the deceased without the consent of his family members and took the corpse to unknown destination.”
“The case was reported and the defendants were arrested.”
The prosecutor noted that the offences violate sections 287, 307, 314, 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that section 314 stipulates 15 years’ imprisonment for obtaining money under false pretence while section 307 attracts seven years for house breaking.
Magistrate Mrs O. A. Layinka granted the defendants bail in the sum of N2 million each with two sureties each in like sum.
She ordered that the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
She adjourned the case until on May 25.
