Ramon Oladimeji
No fewer than 30 Bureau de Change operators stormed the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday in anticipation of the trial of a Nigerian filmmaker, Olajide Kazeem, alias Seun Egbegbe , who was charged with serial frauds involving N39 , 098, 100 , $ 90 , 000 and £ 12 , 550 .
Egbegbe , alongside one Oyekan Ayomide, had been arraigned by the police on February 10 , 2017 , before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo .
The duo were accused of swindling more than 30 BDC operators of various sums both in local and foreign currencies between 2015 and 2017 in Lagos .
Egbegbe and Ayomide had, however , pleaded not guilty and Justice Oguntoyinbo had on February 24 granted each of them a bail of N5 m , while the matter was adjourned till Friday for trial to commence .
When the case was called on Friday, the prosecuting counsel for the police , Mr Innocent Anyigor , told the judge that the charge sheet had been amended and the counts had been increased from 36 to 40 .
He , therefore , prayed the court to allow the charges to be read to the defendants for the purpose of taking their plea .
The judge granted the prayer and Egbegbe and Ayomide were re -arraigned and pleaded not guilty as they had earlier done .
Following the re - arraignment, the defence counsel, Mrs A. O . Gbadamosi , urged the judge to vary the conditions attached to the bail granted Ayomide because he was only involved in three out of the 40 counts .
In response , the judge said the prayer would be considered later .
The prosecutor then told the judge that he had 30 witnesses in court and he was ready for commencement of trial .
The defence counsel also said she was ready for trial .
But the judge noted that the prosecution witnesses in court were the victims which the defendants allegedly defrauded and not the investigating officers who investigated the case .
She said she preferred for the IPOs to testify first before the BDC operators , on the grounds that the IPOs could be transferred out of Lagos anytime .
“ I prefer that anybody in the police that will give evidence in this matter should testify first . They might be transferred and I don ’ t want to be running after anybody . That’ s why I ’ m not going to start with them ( BDC operators ) now . I want to take the police first , ” the judge said .
She , therefore , adjourned till March 24 , 2017 , for the commencement of trial .
In the charge, marked FHC /L / 40 c /2017 , Egbegbe and Ayomide were accused of defrauding the BDC operators mostly by falsely representing to the victims that they had foreign currencies to sell to the BDC operators .
The police alleged , for instance , that on February 2 , 2017 , Egbegbe and Ayomide fraudulently obtained the sums of N2 . 45 m and £ , 3 , 000 from one Alhaji Isa Adamu in Lagos under the guise that they wanted to see the naira and buy the pounds .
The other victims of the alleged frauds by Egbede were Mohammed Sanni , who was allegedly defrauded of N2 . 46 m on 2017 New Year day ; Jubrila Ado , allegedly defrauded of N1 . 257 m on September 9 , 2016 ; Hassan Amodu , allegedly defrauded of N600 , 000 in January 2016 ; Sanni Hassan , defrauded off N1 . 43 and £ 2 , 750 in August 2015 ; Saidi Abdullahi , defrauded of N700 , 000 on April 18 , 2016 ; Atairu Abdullahi , defrauded of N 1 m on June 23 , 2016 ; and Abdullahi Babadisa , defrauded of N650 , 000 in January 2016 .
Others were Abdurawan Hassan who allegedly lost N 1 . 46 m to Egbede on January 1 , 2017 ; Suraju Garuba , who lost N850 , 000 in July 2016 ; Abdullahi Mumini , who lost N2 . 15 m in September 2016 ; Garuba Hassan , who lost N700 , 000 on January 10 , 2016 and Sanni Mohammed , who lost N1 . 89 m on January 29 , 2017 .
Also allegedly swindled by Egbegbe were Barowo Abdullahi , who lost N2 . 6 m; Yahu Alidu , who lost N 1 . 75 m ; Tairu Musa , who lost N2 m ; Mohammed Bello, who lost $ 300 ; Mohammed Usman , N 450, 500 ; Suleiman Shehu , who lost N1 . 276 m ; Ahmadu Abda , who lost N 2 m; Nairu Musa , who lost N1 . 007 m; Sanni Mohammed , who lost N 1 . 6 m and $ 3 , 000.
Others were Umaru Haruna , who lost N1 . 7 m; Abubakar Musa , who lost $ 4 , 000; Abdulrasaq Sanni , who lost N1 . 7 m; Abdullahi Babatunde , who lost N 2 . 77 m ; among others.
The police prosecutor , who signed the charge sheet, Mr Effiong Asuquo, said Egbede and Ayomide acted contrary to Section 8 of the Addvance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and were liable to be punished under Section 1 ( 3 ) of the same.
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