Oluwatoyin Malik
A man, Odeleye Moses Oluwabukola, and his firm, Beedel Strategic Investment Company Nigeria Limited, were on Monday arraigned in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Command, before Justice Mohammed Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, on a three-count charge.
The charges included forgery, alteration of documents,s and obtaining money by false pretence, to the tune of N9 million.
According to the investigation, the defendant reportedly approached his victim, Ololade Desmond-Eke, with a forged Local Purchase Order and asked for a loan of N9 million, with an agreed interest of N495,000 in the pretext of executing some purported contracts awarded to his company across the country.
The victim discovered that the LPO was forged after transferring the money to the defendant.
Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Odeleye Moses Oluwabukola ‘M’ and Beedel Strategic Investment Company Nigeria Limited on or about 31st of January 2021 at Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the total sum of N9,000,000.00 (Nine Million Naira) from Ololade Desmond-Eke by falsely representing to her that the said sum is to finance a Fan Milk Local Purchase Order (LPO) with Purchase Order Number: PO022622 which pretences you knew to be false, an offence of obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Count two also read: “That you, Odeleye Moses Oluwabukola ‘M’ and Beedel Strategic Investment Company Nigeria Limited, on or about 15th day of October 2020 at Ibadan, Oyo State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, forged a Fan Milk Local Purchase Order (LPO) with Purchase Order Number: PO022622 with the intent that it may be acted upon as genuine, an offence of forgery of document contrary to Section 465 and punishable under Section 467 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
Count three of the charge read: “That you, Odeleye Moses Oluwabukola ‘M’ and Beedel Strategic Investment Company Nigeria Limited on or about 31st day of January 2022 at Ibadan, Oyo State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, uttered a Fan Milk Local Purchase Order (LPO) with Purchase Order Number: PO022622 to one Ololade Desmond-Eke with the intent that it may be acted upon as genuine, an offence of uttering of document contrary to Section 468 and punishable under Section 467 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
When the charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty, which made the prosecution counsel, Oyelakin Oyediran, to inform the court that he was in court with the first prosecution witness and ready to commence the trial.
However, counsel to the defendant, Sikiru Adewoye, asked the court to direct the prosecution to make available the new evidence against the defendant to the defence.
He further informed the court of a pending bail application for his client and urged the court to admit the defendant to bail.
But Oyediran opposed the application on the grounds that the defendant was a flight risk who has several pending criminal cases at both Oyo State and Federal High Courts in Ibadan, Oyo State.
After listening to both parties, Justice Owolabi remanded the defendant and adjourned the matter till March 14 for a hearing.