PAUL IYOGHOJIE
A 38-year old woman, Omobola Igbi has been arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly collecting the sum of N2,070,000 from a female Lawyer, Anita Odili with the pretext of renting out her duplex to the complainant at Lekki Gardens Estate, Ajah, Lagos, a claim she knew to be false and instead converted the money to her use and escaped.
The accused, a resident of Ahoyaya, Ibeju Lekki was arrested by the Police at Ajah Division, Lagos following a complaint by Odili and charged to Court on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.
Police Counsel, Inspector Ben Ekundayo informed the Court that the accused committed the offence in March 2016 at Lekki Gardens Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Ekundayo told the Court that the accused took the complainant to Lekki Gardens Estate in Ajah to show her a duplex and lied to her that she was the landlady of the duplex and deceived her that the duplex was up for rent.
Ekundayo said that believing that the accused was truly the landlady of the duplex, the complainant negotiated for a rent agreement with the accused and paid her the sum of N2,070,000 for one year.
He said that after the accused collected the money from the complainant, she then escaped with the money and switched off her phones.
Ekundayo added that when the complainant could not see the accused to hand over the keys to the duplex to her to enable her park in her belongings, she went to the duplex to find out what was happening, only to be told that the accused was not the owner of the duplex.
He said that the offences the accused committed were punishable under sections 314(1)(a) and 287(a)(c) of the criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.
The accused however pleaded not guilty to the charges and Chief Magistrate, Mr.A Adefulire granted her bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Adefulire adjourned the case till 9 April 2018 for trial and ordered that the defendant be kept at the Kirikiri Prison Lagos till she fulfilled the bail conditions.