YAHAYA IBRAHIM
Three men who allegedly hacked the Facebook account of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, and defrauded him of N9.188,000, on Monday appeared before a Federal High Court to face charges bordering on fraud.
The men, Frank Nwokobia, 27, Ezeoke Kanayochukwu, 25, and Godwin Essien, 28 were re-arraigned before the court by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
The defendants who appeared before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, are facing a five counts charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud, impersonation and identity theft.
The three men were earlier arraigned during the Court’s long vacation on the same counts charge, before Justice Chuka Obiozor.
But upon court resumption from the vacation, the defendants’ case file was reassigned to Justice Oguntoyinbo.
In the charge against the trio, they were alleged to have in May, hacked Obasa’s Facebook account and retrieved information with which they withdrew N9.1million from his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc account.
According to the prosecuting counsel, William Olu Ologun, following Obasa’s complaint, the defendants were arrested by police at different locations in Delta State, adding that they have confessed to the crime.
The offences, he said, were contrary to Sections 27(1)(b) and 22(2)(b)(ii) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2015 and punishable under same.
At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, the prosecutor, informed the court of the charge against the defendants, and pleaded that the charge to be reread to the them, so that their pleas could be taken.
The three men pleaded not guilty to the charges when it was read to them and consequently, their lawyers urged the court to admit them to bail in the most liberal terms.
Their bail applications were not opposed by the police.
Justice Oguntoyinbo, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million, with each surety each.
According to the judge, the surety must deposit title documents and the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) of their landed property to the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR).
Justice Oguntoyinbo, also ordered that the surety’s official and residential addresses, as well as their phone numbers must be verified by the prosecutor, adding that they must tender before the court evidence of three years tax payment.
The trial of the trio have been adjourned till November 28.
