Admin l Wednesday, May 23, 2018
IKEJA, Nigeria – A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos was today told how an estate agent who pretended to be representing the Onikoyi family defrauded a businessman to the tune of N80 million, contrary to Sections 383 (2)(f) and 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The Estate Agent, Alhaji Jimoh Olawale was arraigned before Justice Adenike J. Coker on a two count charge of obtaining money by false pretense and stealing preferred against him by the state. Roberts, who was led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, E. A Jackson, said that he instructed his lawyer to petition the Police Special Fraud Unit on May 18, 2018 when he realized he has been defrauded.
Roberts said that he paid a total sum of N80m to Olawale for the purchase of a land located at Block 2, Plot 1, Onikoyi layout, Parkview Estate, Lagos. According to the businessman, the defendant falsely claimed to be representing one Onikoyi Family, who are the owners of the land.
“I instructed my lawyer to petition the Special Fraud Unit since its within their jurisdiction. The N80m was paid into the defendants three separate bank accounts situated in Stanbic IBTC, Fidelity and UBA. Upon paying the money, we went into a contract of sale since I found out that he built the transaction on lies and had no contact with the Onikoyi family. The Onikoyi family denied knowing him and I further discovered that there was no trace that he transferred funds to the family.
“Alhaji Olawale claimed that he was working for the family but they family denied him. He also gave me a receipt of payment which carried a letter head of a lawyer’s chamber, simply identified as Abiodun, who he claimed represented the family. Up till now, I have not gotten the land nor received back my funds,” he said.
The prosecutor thereafter tendered the documents of contract for sales and receipt of payment in evidence. Meanwhile, according to the charge, Alhaji Jimoh Olawale sometime between 2013 and 2015 at Ikoyi, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N80m from Mr Roberts by falsely representing to him that he was authorised by the Onikoyi family, His Royal Majesty, Ibikunle Fafunwa Onikoyi to sell part of their land.
The matter was thereafter adjourned till May 25 for cross examination.
