For for defrauding a United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Lateef Adeyemo, of the sum of N30 million, Suleiman Gbajabiamila, has been convicted and confined to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre for the next two months.
Gbajabiamila, 62, was sentenced by Adeola Olatunbosun, Chief Magistrate’s Court 1, sitting in Yaba, Lagos, who ordered on Wednesday, that he be remanded till November 14, 2022, after he was arraigned on a two-count charge for defrauding Adeyemo, a United Kingdom-based Nigerian of the said amount.
The suspect, who was said to have presented himself as an estate agent last year, allegedly collected and converted to his own use, N30 million meant to purchase a two-bedroom flat for the said victim between September and October 2021, after which he took off for months.
He would now be facing charges bordering on stealing and false presentation, an offence punishable under Section 287 of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015 before the court, for the second time, after absconding from trial since July 25 when he was supposed to return, after his case was adjourned on June 20, 2022.
The court was told by the police of how he was said to have switched off his phone since July , returned home in the middle of the night and left before 5:00a.m. during the period he was at large and had been on the Island twice, since then.
The police, which also claimed that Gbajabiamila had been on a transaction spree during the period, much of which were with his wife through bank transfers, admitted collecting N150,000 from the victim to track him down, which became quite difficult because he decided to be offline, but ran out of luck after he finally switched on his phone on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.
Femi Ojikutu, an Inspector and the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, who said the he was fished out the same day, added: “I asked him if he was duped so we could make an arrest and he told me that he wasn’t. He said he used the money for charity. His two sureties have also withdrawn their support.”
Olatunbosun, ordered that police to convey the suspect to the said prison and deliver him to the Superintendent, who would receive him into custody and keep him till November 14, 2022, and to retrieve him from the same facility and on the adjourned date, bring him to court at 09:00.a.m. for hearing of the matter.
