55-year-old agent arraigned for alleged N1.2m fraud

A 55-year-old property agent, Bolaji Ajetumobi, has been arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court for alleged fraud estimated at N1,241,000.

He was arraigned by the police on 12 counts bordering on the crime before Magistrate Olumide Fusika.

The police said Ajetumobi connived with others at large to collect the sum of N1.2m from nine different persons on the pretext of letting out an apartment at Alaguntan area, Ajah, Lagos, to them.

It was learnt that the agent collected the sums of N150,000; N100,000; N136,000; N140,000 and N100,000 from one Bernard Effite, Okpara Kingdom, Abdul Abubakar, Thomas John and Bashir Badmus respectively.

Other victims are Davou Nyam, Okonkwo Ifeanyi, Anagor Seraphim and Peter Joseph who the defendant allegedly defrauded of N125,000, N210,000, N150,000 and N130,000 respectively.

Our correspondent gathered that Ajetumobi allegedly fraudulently collected the money from the complainants between September and October 2018.

Reportedly, the agent could not be found after the victims paid the money to him.

It was later discovered that the intending tenants that they had been duped when some of them met at the apartment.

The case of fraud was said to have been reported to policemen at the Area J Police Command, Ajah, and subsequently, Ajetumobi was arrested.

He was arraigned on 12 counts of obtaining money under false pretence to which he pleaded not guilty.

The charges read in part, “That you, Bolaji Ajetumobi, and others now at large, sometime in September and October 2018, at Alagutan, Ajah, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did fraudulently obtain the sum of N150,000 from one Bernard Effite under the pretence to secure an apartment for him at Alaguntan, a representation you knew full well to be false, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.”

The presiding magistrate, Fusika, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till November 28, 2018.

Credit: Punch