Egbegbe (left) and a co-accused being escorted to a transit cell during an earlier court appearance
By Paul Sanusi|
Less than one year after he won the City People Entertainment Award for his contributions to the growth of the Nollywood Movie Industry, Mr Olajide Olasunkanmi aka Seun Egbegbe was marched to prison today over alleged 33 Bureau de Change frauds.
Egbegbe, who won a Special Recognition Award in July 2016 for his remarkable contributions to the growth of the Movie Industry in Nigeria, today faced a 36-count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud at a Federal High Court in Lagos.
He was charged alongside one Oyekan Ayomide, by the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti-Yaba.
In the charge marked FHC/L/40c/2017, filed before the court by SCIID’s head of legal department, CSP Effiong Asuquo, the suspected fraudsters allegedly defrauded the BDC Operators at various places in Lagos State to the tune of N40.647million, $29, 800, and £4, 815 between 2016 and February 2, 2017.
They pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
The offences according to the prosecutor, Mr. Anyigor Innocent, are contrary to sections 8 and 1(1)(a)(B)(3) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act 2006, and punishable under section 1(1) of the same Act.
Among the BDC operators allegedly defrauded are: Issa Adamu, Mohammed Sanni, Jubril Ado, Hassan Amodu, Bala Mohammed, Sanni Hassan, Abdullahi Mumuni, Suraju Garuba, Mutairu Shuaibu, Sanusi Muhammad, and Kabiru Jubril.
Others include: Barowo Abdullahi, Yahu, Abubakar Musa, Abdullahi Babatunde, Nasir Musa, Umaru Haruna, Umaru Sanni, Mohammed Bello, Mohammed Alli, Abdulrazaq Sanni, Tairu Musa, Sulaiman Sheu, Amadu Abda and Dauda Ibrahim.
Count one of the charge says: “That you Olajide Oluwaseun Karrem and Oyekan Ayomide, on or about 2nd February, 2017, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court by false pretence and with an intent to defraud, conspired among yourselves to obtain the sum of N2, 450, 000, £3000 Pounds Sterling from one Alhaji Isa Adamu, and therefore committed an offence contrary to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences, and punishable under the same Act.”
Following their not-guilty plea, the prosecutor, Mr. Anyigor, urged the court to remand them in Prison custody pending trial.
But their lawyer, A. O. Gbadamosi, pleaded with the Court to give a date for the hearing of his Clients’ bail applications. He informed the court that he had not filed the application.
Consequently, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo ordered that the two accused persons be remanded in Prison custody. She adjourned the matter till March 10 for trial.
In November 2016, Egbegbe, the ex-lover of Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimakhu, was beaten up at the Computer Village in Lagos, for alleged theft.
He was dragged to the Area ‘F’ police station in Ikeja, accused of stealing nine packs of brand new iPhone devices from a shop known as Kaalcech Innovations and Consultancy on Medical Road in Computer Village on a Tuesday morning, under the guise of buying the devices.
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Most wealthy and wealth in today's Nigeria can be said to be questionable. So called 'big boys', makes hard working citizens looks lazy and cursed. I believe in the Yoruba saying that goes thus: "everyday is for a thief, one day is for the owner.