Police Arraign Marketer Over N21m Fraud

A marketer, John James, has been arraigned by the police before Magistrate O. O. Oshin of an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court over alleged N21 million fraud.

He was accused of impersonating as a dispatch delivery man of a firm, Oxford Hydrocarbon Ltd and in the process forged a transfer of funds instruction on the firm’s Ecobank Plc account and transferred the sum of N21million, to a Zenith Bank Account.

The 62-year old defendant who is a resident of 23b, Anuoluwapo Street in Egbe area of Lagos, was arraigned on a 4-count charge of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and attempted fraud.

He however pleaded not guilty to the charge and was consequently granted bail by the magistrate in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. According to the Magistrate Oshin, one of the sureties must be a level 12 civil servant with evidence of tax payment. The addresses of the sureties are also to be verified by the court’s registrar.

Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned to May 10. Earlier, police prosecutor, Sergeant Cyriacus Osuji, had told the court that the defendant conspired with others still being sought to commit the alleged offences on April 11, 2017, at about 10:30 am. Osuji alleged that James forged a transfer of funds instruction of Oxford Hydrocarbon Ltd Company on Ecobank Plc and transferred the sum of N21million to Zenith bank account.

He further alleged that the accused person impersonated as a dispatch rider of the firm. According to him, the offences are punishable under Sections 361(b), 404, 409 of Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 and Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2012.