Prosecutor’s Absence Stalls Seun Egbegbe’s Fraud Trial

Ladipo Sanusi/

The scheduled trial of Nigerian filmmaker, Olajide Kazeem, popularly known as Seun Egbegbe, and other accused persons for alleged fraud was stalled, on Wednesday, due to the absence of the prosecuting police officer.

Other charged along with Egbegbe by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Lagos State Police Command are, Oyekan Ayomide, Lawal Kareem, Olalekan Yusuf and Muyideen Shoyombo.

Egbegbe is standing trial at a Federal High Court in Lagos, along with his co-accused for allegedly defrauding several victims of various sums in local and foreign currencies.

Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo informed the accused persons that the prosecutor, Inspector Anyigor Innocent, had written a letter informing the court that he is out of the jurisdiction for official duty.

Consequently, Justice Oguntoyinbo adjourned trial till October 3, and ordered the accused persons to be returned to prison’s custody since they are yet to meet their bail conditions.

Egbegbe and his co-accused were arraigned by the police on an amended charge marked FHC/L/40c/2017, bordering on conspiracy, stealing, and fraud in the sum of N39, 098,100, $90,000 and £12,550, belonging to over 30 Bureau De Change (BDC) operators.

Police alleged that the defendants defrauded the BDC operators by falsely representing to the victims that they either want to buy or sell foreign currencies.