3 men re-arraigned for defrauding Lagos Speaker, Obasa of N9.1m

Three men, who allegedly hacked the Facebook account of Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, and defrauded him of N9, 188, 100 million, were on Monday, re-arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The three suspects, Frank Nwokobia, 27, Ezeoke Kanayochukwu, 25, and Godwin Essien, 28, were re-arraigned before Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo court, on a five count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud, impersonation and identity theft, by the men of state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, (SCIID), panti-Yaba, Lagos.

According to prosecuting counsel, William Olu Ologun, the trio, sometimes in May 2017, hacked Obasa’s Facebook account and retrieved information with which they withdrew N9.1million from his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc account.

Ologun said following Obasa’s complaint, the defendants were arrested by police at different locations in Delta State.

According to him, they confessed to the crime.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, the prosecutor, Mr. William Olu-Ologun, informed the court of the charge against the defendants, and pleaded with the court for the charge to be re-read to the defendants, so that their pleas could be taken.

The three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, after it was read to them.

Consequently, their lawyers urged the court to admit their clients bail in the most liberal terms.

Their bail applications were not opposed by the police.

Following the applications of the lawyers to the defendants, Justice Oguntoyinbo, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million, with each surety each.

The each surety, the judge ordered to deposit title documents and the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) of their lands property to the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR).

The judge also ordered that the surety’s official and residential addresses, as well as their phone numbers must be verified by the prosecutor. Adding that they must tendered before the court evidence of three years tax payment.

The trial of the defendants was consequently adjourned till November 28.