Two suspects, Babatunde Ogunjobi and Abdulgafar Yusuf, who allegedly defrauded the Owa Obokun of Ijesa, Osun State, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, of N500,000 using the stolen phone of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, have been remanded in prison.
The charge sheet read in court on Monday explained that the suspects conspired and stole a Sony Ericsson mobile telephone belonging to the state governor on November 27, 2010 during his inauguration.
The state Director, State Security Service, who is the complainant in the case, also alleged that Ogunjobi and Yusuf defrauded unsuspecting members of the public of N750, 000, using the same phone number and pretending to be the governor.
Our correspondent gathered that Ogunjobi worked at the Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos.
Investigation also showed that an inmate of the prisons, Kevin Ighodalo, was one of the masterminds of the alleged fraud.
Ighodalo, our correspondent gathered, linked Ogunjobi with a yet-to-be-identified prime suspect that stole the phone and tricked the traditional ruler to part with N500,000.
Speaking with PUNCH METRO shortly after the arraignment, Ogunjobi claimed that he only gave Ighodalo his salary account number and later gave the prison inmate Yusuf’s account number when he suspected that Ighodalo was up to mischief with his (Ogunjobi’s) account.
According to the charge sheet, both Ogunjobi and Yusuf, posing as Aregbesola caused the traditional ruler to pay N500, 000 into an Intercontinental Bank account bearing number 1007440399 on June 3, 2011.
The charge sheet said the suspects, along with others at large withdrew N495,000 out of the N500,000, immediately the sum was paid by Aromolaran at a Lagos branch of the bank.
The second of the five-count charge alleged that the suspects also defrauded Shengen Rahman of N200,000, using the governor’s phone and pretending to be the governor.
Rahman, according to the charge sheet, paid N200,000 into a Diamond Bank account bearing number 0541050010086, which belonged to Ogunjobi.
Both suspects, the charge sheet stated, withdrew the N200,000 at a Lagos branch of the bank immediately it was paid by Rahman on May 24, 2011.
The suspected fraudsters, our correspondent gathered, had used an MTN line, 08039404966, to call many people in the governor’s phonebook, a situation that worried the governor and necessitated his reporting the case to the police and the SSS.
The charge sheet stressed that the offences were contrary to sections 419 and 422 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
The suspects’ lawyer, Mrs. Nnenna Ngwu, applied for their bail on the grounds that they remained innocent until the contrary was proved in court.
SSS Legal Officer, Mr. Michael Ubi, appeared for the prosecution.
Magistrate Olusola Aluko, in his ruling, remanded the suspects in Ilesa prison custody just as he adjourned the case till July 28, 2011, for ruling over the bail application.
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