9mobile Staff, Lawyer in Trouble for N25m Fraud

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

An employee of 9mobile (formerly Etisalat Nigeria), Mr Sogo Akinola, has been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged N24.9 million fraud.

Mr Akinola was arraigned on Friday, March 29, 2019, alongside a lawyer, Mr Feranmi Isaiah Akinluyi, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja on a five-count charge, bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.

The EFCC informed the court that the two suspects, both lawyers, allegedly swindled a number of unsuspecting victims by claiming to be into property business.

“That you, Feranmi Isaiah Akinluyi and Sogo Akinola (alias Obaje), on or about the 24th June, 2016 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, induced Kelechi Okani Darlington to transfer the sum of N9,000,000 (Nine Million Naira) only into your Diamond Bank Account No. 0042435535, on the understanding that the said amount was to purchase a property known and situated on Plot 3, Block 1, Lekki County, Ikota Village, Lagos, which pretext you knew to be false,” one of the counts read.

When the charges were read to the accused persons, they pleaded not guilty to all and in view of their no guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Mr Ahmed Yerima, asked for a trial date and urged the court to remand them in prison custody.

However, counsel to the defendants, Mr Olugbenga Akinlabi, informed the court that the charge was served on the defendants on the morning of the arraignment in the court premises and that the defendants were standing trial before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja for a similar offence for which they are presently on bail.

The defence counsel, therefore, prayed for a short adjournment to enable him file and serve the prosecution with the bail applications on behalf of his clients.

Justice Dada granted the defendants bail and adjourned the case to May 6, 2019 for hearing of the bail applications and commencement of trial.