Court slams ‘stringent’ bail conditions on Abuja business agents

A Federal High Court in Abuja has slammed stringent bail conditions on two Abuja-based business agents, Nsor Nyami and Iranloye Olusegun, who are standing trial for allegedly defrauding their employer of the sum of N10.6 million.

The trial Judge, Justice Musa Suleiman Liman, while admitting the two business agents to bail on Monday, ordered them to produce one surety each who must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of their landed property in Abuja to the court throughout the trial of the criminal charge against them.

The sureties to the two business agents are also to produce a years tax certificate that would be verified by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in addition to signing a N20 million bail bond for the defendants to be released on bail.

Delivering a ruling in their fresh bail application, Justice Liman ordered the two defendants to deposit their international passports and their passport photograph with the court, while their sureties must swear to an affidavit of means and submit to the court their National Identification Certificate for the purpose of ascertaining their true identities.

Justice Liman, who said that he admitted them to bail on special circumstances of ill health, had vacated his earlier order of January 2025, before admitting them to bail.

Nsor Nyami and Iranloye Olusegun, were arraigned by the Police for allegedly defrauding their employer of N10.6 million entrusted into their care.

They were also accused of selling unregistered products to unsuspecting customers across the country before the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) sealed up their factory in Abuja.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) who acted on the petition against them and after a thorough investigation slammed a 10-count charge against them.

The charges border on felony, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust, contrary to Section 3 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 2007.

Although the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, the IGP however alleged that they, sometime in 2022 in Abuja, conspired amongst themselves to commit felony by dishonestly disposing of the Soya Plus product entrusted to them in violation of directives and guidelines prescribing the mode in which such trust is to be discharged.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 3 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2007 and punishable under Section 3 of the same Act.

The IGP also alleged that the two defendants in the same year dishonestly converted the sum of N10.6 million to their own use, being money given to them by various customers in the distribution of Peace Foundation International Soya Plus, and refused to remit the money to their employer.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 308 and punishable under Section 309 of the Penal Code Act.

Also, the IGP alleged that the two defendants in 2022 in Abuja, carried out the distribution of an unregistered product named Brika Soya Beans Milk without registration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC).

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 1 of the Food Product Registration Regulations of NAFDAC and punishable under Section 7 of the same Act.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/321/24, the second defendant, Olusegun Iranloye, was alleged to have criminally converted, for the purpose of stealing, the aggregate sum of N2.5 million paid to him by various customers, the money being the property of his employer, contrary to Section 286 of the Penal Code Act and punishable under Section 287 of the same Act.

However, shortly after Monday’s ruling, the lead counsel to the accused persons, Ekanem Agabi, SAN informed the Judge that the two defendants would prefer to settle the dispute with the nominal complainant while thanking the Judge for admitting them to bail on health grounds.

Meanwhile, pending perfection of their bail conditions, the Judge ordered that they be remanded at l Kuje Correctional Center and fixed June 17, 2025, for trial.

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