Housewife Dupes Husband-Seeking Lady

PAUL IYOGHOJIE

The police at the Bar Beach Division, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, have arrested a housewife, Nnodim Ugochi, 35, for allegedly obtaining the sum of N1.494,500 from a husband-seeking lady, Nwaoze Josephine.

Ugochi allegedly collected the money with the pretext to send the money to her U.S-based brother for a flight ticket to come to Nigeria to marry Josephine, a claim the police said the suspect knew to be false as she does not have a brother in the U.S.

Police alleged that after the suspect collected the money from the complainant, she converted the money to her use and started telling the victim stories.

The suspect, according to the police, was ordered arrested by the DPO in charge of Bar Beach Division, CSP Olusegun Ajamolaya, following a complaint by Nwaoze that the suspect collected the sum of N1.4m from her to foot the transport fare of her U.S-based brother to come to Nigeria and marry her and take her to the U.S. But the suspect failed to fulfill her promise and also refused to refund the money to date.

After investigation, the suspect, a resident of 8,Shotimire Street, Ogijo, Ikorodu, Lagos from Imo State, was arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Police prosecutor, Inspector Jimoh Joseph, informed the court in charge No A/48/2016 that the accused committed the offence between August and October, 2015 at 7, Ayinla Akinsola Street, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.

Joseph told the court that the complainant said trouble began for her in August 2015 when she went to Ugochi’s hairdressing salon to retouch her hair and confided in the accused as a woman that she was seriously searching for a responsible man to marry.

He said the complainant stated that the accused collected various sums of money amounting to N1,494,500 from her to introduce her U.S-based brother to her for marriage and also presented some pictures of her so-called brother to her to convince her.

Joseph said that the complainant further stated that she discovered that she had been duped by the accused when she later found out that the man in the pictures presented to her was Ugochi’s husband she was living together with their three children.

He said the offences the accused committed are punishable under sections 409,312 and 285 of the criminal laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused however pleaded not guilty to the crime in the open court and Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.O. Sholadoye admitted her on bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum,one of whom must be a serving civil servant and the other must own a property in Lagos.

Sholadoye adjourned the case till 20 September, 2016 for mention while the defendant was taken to Kirikiri Prisons, Apapa, Lagos pending the fulfillment of her bail conditions.