A 47-year old man, Ifeanyi Erota, has been arrested and charged in Lagos State for allegedly swindling a man, Okonkwa Festus Chidi, to the tune of N5.4m under false pretence of taking him to Burkina Faso as a driver, which was false.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that after the suspect collected the money, he took the complainant to the country and placed him under servitude before he eventually escaped and returned to Nigeria.
According to the Police, the suspect asked the complainant to pay the money in question under the false pretence of getting him a driving job in Burkina Faso.
However, when they got to Burkina Faso, the suspect placed him under hard labour for several months before the complainant managed to escape and returned to Nigeria.
The matter was reported to the Police at Shasha Division. The suspect was arrested and detained at the station for interrogation. He was found culpable after thorough interrogation and charged before the Ejigbo Magistrate Court for the alleged offence.
The charges read:
“That you, Ifeanyi Eruta ‘m’ and others now at large’, on the said date, in the Lagos Magisterial District did induce one Okonkwa Festus Chidi ‘m’ and took him to Burkina Faso for a motive best known to you and placed him in servitude for some period of time before he escaped back home and thereby committed and offence contrary and punishable under Section 276(j) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
COUNT II:”That you, Ifeanyi Erota ‘m’, and others now at large, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial district did fraudulently obtain the sum of N5.400.000.Five million, four hundred thousand naira only from one Okonkwa Festus Chidi ‘m’ under the false pretence of getting him a driving job in Burkina Faso and thereby committed an offence contrary and punishable under Section 314(3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.”
COUNT III: “That you. Ifeanyi Erota ‘m’, and others now at large, on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial district ,did steal the sum of N5.400.000. Five million, fuur hundred thousand Naira only, property of one Okonkwa Festus Chidi ‘m’ and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.”
However, he pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Njue, asked the Court to give a date for hearing since he pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that he actually committed the alleged offence.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. F.R. Ogunkoyede, granted him bail with two sureties, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment while addresses will be verified by the Court.