A Gudu Upper Area Court in Abuja has granted a 24-year-old man, Emmanuel Ogbonna, a bail of N550,000, for allegedly defrauding a woman of N500,000 after impersonating a Senegalese businessman.
The judge, Umar Kagarko, also ordered the defendant to produce one surety that must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.
Mr. Ogbonna of Angwan Cement, Life Camp, Abuja was arraigned on a 10-count charge of joint act, cheating, assembling for purpose of committing brigandage and abetting commission of offence.
Other charges are abduction, wrongful confinement to extort property, wrongful restraint, impersonation and giving false information.
The prosecutor, Umoh Inah, told the court that the complainant, Mary Edet of Katampe, Abuja, reported the case at Wuye Police Station on September 23. He said the complainant boarded the defendant’s taxi from Jabi Garage, Abuja, with other syndicate members (Emeka, Nnadi and Matthias) now at large posing as passengers sometime in June 2014.According to him, the defendant and others fraudulently collected N200,000 from Ms. Edet and subsequently collected another N300, 000 from her, totaling N500,000.
“The defendant claimed to be a Senegalese tailor and told the woman that he would supply laptops and Blackberry phones to her but failed to do so.
“The woman boarded the defendant’s taxi again on September 23 from Berger to Life Camp, Abuja, and recognized the defendant. “The defendant and his members noticed this and diverted to Wuye District with the intent to abduct her.
“The woman raised an alarm; the defendant was arrested while other members fled,” the prosecutor said.
The offences contravened Sections 79, 322, 307, 93, 272, 260, 256, 179, 178 and 80 of the Penal Code.
The defendant pleaded not guilty while the case was adjourned to November 17 for hearing.
Barnabas Hunjo, Esq.
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