Ladipo Sanusi/
A financial consultant has been duped over a million dollars by a spiritualist he contracted for money-making charms.
Court documents obtained by Newsmakers revealed that the victim, Sulaiman Yusuf Obhakume, a staff of First Marina Trust Limited, wanted the spiritualist, Haruna Isah, to make a charm that would enable him continuously defraud his employers without being detected.
The documents also revealed that Obhakume was introduced to Isah by an accomplice working in the same company, Oluwaseun Adeyemi.
According to the documents, Isah demanded an initial consultation fee of N240, 000 from Obhakume. He thereafter charged him a fee of $540, 000 in two tranches of $250, 000 and $290, 000 before demanding an additional fee of £450, 000, all of which Obhakume allegedly stole from his company.
Both Obhakume and Adeyemi were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the fraud was eventually detected by the company. And following the duo’s confession, other suspects including Isah and three relations, Asimawu H. Isah, Johnson A. Isaac and Damilola Taiba Isah, were equally arrested.
The anti-graft agency subsequently filed an ex-parte application, marked FHC/L/CS/1264/17, before a Federal High Court, in Lagos requesting the temporary forfeiture of 13 landed properties belonging to Haruna Isah.
The application, which was argued before the court on Wednesday, by the agency’s lawyer, G. C. Akaogu, contended that 11 landed properties, an 80 KVA generator and three exotics cars, scattered across Lagos and Ogun states, were purchased by Isah with proceeds from the fraud.
Justice AbdulAziz Anka, who presided over the court, granted the request of the commission and ordered all the listed properties to be temporarily forfeited to the federal government pending the conclusion of the trial of the suspects.
Isah, Adeyemi, Obhakume and one Yusuf Imran Adekunle are standing trial before Justice Ogunsanya of a Lagos High Court, in Ikeja on two count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
Properties listed for forfeiture in the order included an undeveloped land measuring 634.130sqm located at Niyi Ogunbameru Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos; a Shopping Plaza, located on Shasha road, Akowonjo, Lagos; undeveloped land measuring 407.062sqm, located at 38, Adeniyi Akibu Street, Jankara, Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Lagos; a building located at 49, Segun Akinola Street, Mile 16, Lagos-Abeokuta Express road, Abule-Egba, Lagos; a building located at 46, Yetunde kuforiji Street, Megida Village, Alimosho, in Lagos and an undeveloped land measuring 288.068 sqm, located at Itele-Ota, Ogun State.
Also included are, Harsmont Hotel Limited, 14, Adeyemo Close, Mafoluku-Oshodi, Lagos; Twin Duplex at 9, Philomena Street, off Murtune Avenue, River Valley Estate, Dopemu, Lagos; a bungalow at 4, Olushola Prestige close, off Kilanko street, Abule-Egba, Lagos; a Duplex at 5, Titilayo Balogun close, Ajao Estate, Lagos; an uncompleted building and land located at 724, Moshalashi-Alagbado, Lagos and an uncompleted building and land located at 724, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road, Ijaiye-Ojokoro, Lagos.
Others also included SP 80kva Mikano generator; Toyota Tacoma marked BDG 938 EE; Toyota Land Cruiser marked FST 909 EG, and Toyota RAV4 marked FST 186 EG.
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