Date: 2019-10-03

Justice Patricia Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State, has ordered that one Gideon Onifade be remanded in prison until the case of fraud instituted against him is decided.

The accused was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan zonal office, on Wednesday on five counts bordering on forgery, fake representation, obtaining money under false pretences and Internet-related offences.

He was said to have surfed the Internet through a series of fake representations to illegally receive over N30m and other sums in foreign currencies from the victims of his fraudulent activities across the world.

The charges read in part, "That, you, Onifade Gideon Idowu, aka Melina Seekng and Melina Shelly James, between 2017 and 2019, in Ibadan, Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, took possession of the sum of N30m paid into your account with the UBA Plc with the number: 2091840941, when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit; fraud, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 15 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act."

Due to Onifade's not guilty plea, the counsel for the EFCC, Murtala Usman, prayed the court for a trial date and an order to remand the accused person in a correctional centre.

The judge granted the prayer and adjourned the case till November 4 for trial and/or plea bargain.

She ordered that Onifade be remanded in the Agodi Correctional Centre.

Meanwhile, the Ilorin zonal office of the EFCC, on Wednesday, re-arraigned a 32-year-old man, Kayode Abolarin, before a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin for Internet fraud and related offences.

Abolarin was re-arraigned on seven counts before the court presided over by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye.

A statement by the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said the accused was first arraigned in February 2019 before Justice Babagana Ashigar of a Federal High Court in Ilorin but absconded after he was granted bail.

But operatives of the commission traced him to the GRA, Ilorin, in August and arrested him.

The charges read in part, "That you, Kayode Abolarin, alias Lauren Saint, on or about the 6th day of February, 2019, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kwara State, with intent to defraud, had in your possession a document containing false pretences, to wit; a mail titled paid to drive initiative by your Budweiser, which you sent to one Chad Bakichan, an American citizen, through your acclaimed email,

, a representation you knew to be false, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 6 read along with Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 of the same Act."

The suspect, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecuting counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, told the court, "In view of the defendant's not guilty plea, we shall be asking for a trial date to enable the prosecution prove its case against the accused person."