Serial fraud: Police re-arraign Seun Egbegbe, four others

The police, for the third time, have re-arraigned a Lagos-based  film-maker, Olajide Kazeem, popularly  known as Seun Egbegbe, and his alleged accomplice, Oyekan Ayomide, for alleged serial frauds involving N39, 098,100, $90,000 and £12,550.

The duo had earlier been arraigned on two different occasions before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court in Lagos on 40 counts.

Their re-arraignment for the third time on Monday followed the amendment to  the charges by the police.

In the amended charges, the police introduced the names of three other persons as defendants to  the case.

The defendants,  whose names were added to the charges are Lawal Kareem, Olalekan Yusuf and Muyideen Shoyombo.

The defendants were accused of swindling no fewer than 30 Bureau De Change operators in Lagos of various sums both in local and foreign currencies between 2015 and 2017.

The police alleged that the defendants defrauded the BDC operators mostly by falsely representing to the victims that they had foreign currencies to sell to or buy from the BDC operators.

The police alleged, for instance, that on February 2, 2017, Egbegbe and his co-defendants fraudulently obtained the sums of N2.45m and £,3,000 from one Alhaji Isa Adamu in Lagos under the guise that they wanted to see the naira and buy the pounds.

Among the other victims of the alleged frauds by Egbegbe are  Mohammed Sanni, who was allegedly defrauded of N2.46m on 2017 New Year’s  Day; Jubrila Ado, allegedly defrauded of N1.257m on September 9, 2016; Hassan Amodu, allegedly defrauded of N600,000 in January 2016; Sanni Hassan,  allegedly defrauded off N1.43 and £2,750 in August 2015; Saidi Abdullahi, allegedly defrauded of N700,000 on April 18, 2016; Atairu Abdullahi,  allegedly defrauded of N1m on June 23, 2016; and Abdullahi Babadisa, allegedly defrauded of N650,000 in January 2016.

The police prosecutor, Mr. Innocent Anyigor, told the court that Egbegbe and the others acted contrary to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and were liable to be punished under Section 1(3) of the same.

But when the charges were read to them on Monday, they all pleaded not guilty.

Justice Oguntoyinbo adjourned till April 26 for further proceedings in the case.