Police arraign alleged fraud suspects after 20 years

 
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The Lagos State Police Command has brought three suspects – 60-year-old man, Wasiu Alaga; Chief Wasiu Aminunah, 53; and Badiru Jimoh, 54 – before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court for allegedly unlawfully selling a plot of land belonging to one Alhaji Waidi Abiola.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Alaga, Aminunah and Jimoh had connived on May 24, 1995, and sold Abiola’s house on Wilful Close, Egbeda, Lagos, to one Godfrey Orogunye without the complainant’s consent.

The suspects, who were arraigned on two counts bordering on the offence, were arrested along with 41-year-old Kolawole Olawale who was charged with unlawful damage of building blocks.

Our correpondent learnt that Abiola had started building on the land when Olawale, sometime in October 2015, went to the site and vandalised the uncompleted building.

After his efforts to reclaim the land proved abortive, the complainant was said to have petitioned the police at Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, leading to the suspects’ arrest.

The police said Olawale was arrested for destroying Abiola’s property valued at N5m.

The four suspects appeared before the presiding magistrate, Mrs. A.O. Ogunbowale, on Tuesday, and pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them by a police prosecutor, Essiet Essiet.

Essiet told the court that the offences contravened sections 166 (1) (d) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State Nigeria, 2011.

The charges read in part, “That you, Wasiu Alaga, Chief Wasiu Aminu and Badiru Jimoh, on May 24, 1995, at about 11.30am on Wilful Close, Egbeda, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully conspire and conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by selling a plot of land belonging to Alhaji Waidi Abiola to Mr. Godfrey Orogunye, knowing same to be unlawful.

“That you, Kolawole Olawale, sometime in the month of October 2015, on Wilful Close, Egbeda, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did damage a block foundation valued at N5m, property of one Alhaji Waidi Abiola, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 377 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”

The defendants were admitted to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties each in like sum.

The magistrate, Ogunbowale, added that the sureties must show evidence of tax payments and tender their residential addresses to the court for verification.

The case was adjourned till March 1, 2016, for mention.