MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 49-year old man, Joseph Edward, has been arrested in Lagos State for allegedly using an unregistered football academy, known as JOKAS, to swindle young footballers seeking to play professional football in abroad.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Edward, was alleged to have set up the academy in Odo-Isan area of Igando, Lagos, lured the young footballers and obtained certain amount of money under the false pretence that he would send them abroad to foreign clubs for professional football.
The parents of the victims believed him and paid him the undisclosed amount of money in order to facilitate the travelling documents as he claimed.
However, it turned out that he had no such arrangements because all the promises he made were fake as none of the players was sent abroad as he promised and he did not refund their money either.
Some of the victim’s parents, namely, Johnson Fadipe, Chukwudi Uzoma, Ogundiran Adekunle , Isaiah Aderogba, went to him to find out why he failed. At that point, he started threatening to kill them for demanding for their money.
The matter was reported to the Police at Igando Division. The suspect, Edward, was then arrested and detained at the station for interrogation over his alleged criminal conduct.
During interrogation, he admitted to have collected certain amount of money from the victims but claimed that he was yet to conclude the transactions with his foreign agent. But when he was asked to refund the money, he could not do so.
The Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him before the Court for conduct likely to cause breach of public peace and fraud under the Criminal Laws of the State.
He however, pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned.
The Prosecutor, Supol Benedict Aigbokhan, then 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
K.A. Ariyo, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment.
The matter was adjourned till 23rd June, 2023, for mention while the defendant was remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when he will perfect his bail conditions.