A 43-year-old man, Olamide Ojajuni, was docked on Monday in an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State for allegedly obtaining N2.7 million under false pretenses.
The police charged Ojajuni with three counts of conspiracy: obtaining by false pretense and stealing by conversion.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Insp. Donjour Perezi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in Nov. 2023 at Obanikoro, Lagos State.
The prosecutor said the defendant and some others at large obtained the amount from the complainant, Mrs. Ajayi Abosede, on the false pretense of letting out a two-bedroom flat, a representation known to be false.
The prosecutor added that the defendant also stole and converted the money to his personal use.
The complainant, he said, saw a to-let banner sometime in November 2023 advertising the apartment.
He said that he called the number on the banner, and the self-acclaimed agent picked it up and told her he had a four-bedroom flat on Ikoyi Street, Obanikoro.
“She paid N2.7 million for a one-and-a-half-year agreement and commission fee.
“After collecting the money, they switched off their phones, and all efforts made to locate them failed,” he said.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes the provisions of sections 287, 314, and 411 of the criminal laws of Lagos State 2015.
The magistrate, Mrs. M.O. Tanimola, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200 with two sureties in like sum.
Tanimola adjourned the case until March 1 for mention. (NAN)
