A 45-year-old man, Micheal Okugbowa, on Thursday, appeared before an Ikorodu Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, for allegedly defrauding accommodation seekers of N5.05 million.
The defendant whose address was not provided, is standing trial on a four-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, Asp. Aminu Isaac, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on September 9 at about 10:30 am at Bola Kazeem Estate, Owode Onirin, Ikorodu Road, Lagos.
The prosecutor alleged that the defendant fraudulently obtained the sum of N1.15million one Mr Godwin Uzor, with pretext to provide a mini self-contained accommodation for him but instead converted the money to his personal use.
The prosecutor added that the defendant on October 15, at about 11.15am, obtained the sum of N900,000 from one Mr Benjamin Igba, N1.2m from one Mr Akinlade Temitope, and N800,000 from one Mr Ebuka, also with pretext to provide mini-flats to them.
According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene the provisions of section 314(1)(a), 314(1)(a), 314(1)(a) and 314(1)(a)of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The magistrate, Mr B.A. Sonuga, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1m with two sureties in like sum.
The court ordered that one of the sureties must be a level 16 and above civil servant with a letter from the Head of Civil Service and also provide evidence of three years tax clearance.
He adjourned the case until Dec. 4, 2025 for mention.
Vanguard
