The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, presented its third prosecution witness, PW 3, Felicia Paul, an operative of the EFCC, in the trial of one Murtala Adebayo for an alleged N19m fraud before Justice Mojisola Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
Adebayo was arraigned on January 24, 2024, on a three-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N19 million.
One of the counts reads: “Murtala Adebayo, sometime in 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4,500,000 (Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira) from one Gafar Abiodun Ademolake by falsely representing to him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo Ajah, Lagos, which representation you knew to be false.”
Another count reads: “Murtala Adebayo, sometime in 2019 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained three cars, two Toyota Camry 2005 model and one Honda Accord 2006 model all at an agreed value of N9,000,000.00 from one Gafar Abiodun Ademolake by falsely representing to him that the payment was for balance payment of 18 plots of land at Ayogbemi Village, Ibeju, Lekki, Lagos, a representation you knew to be false.”
The defendant, who took his plea in the Yoruba Language, pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against him, thereby leading to his full trial.
At the resumed sitting on Tuesday, Paul, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Babangida Isah, identified the defendant in the box, adding that his team investigated the case after the complainant, Gafar Ademolake, through his lawyer, submitted a petition to the Commission against the defendant.
“ Sometime in 2015, the nominal complainant met the defendant for the purchase of land at Ogombo and Ibeju-Lekki. He paid N4.5 million for the Ogombo land and another N14.5 million for the Ibeju-Lekki.
“The complainant gave the defendant three cars: One Honda Civic and two Toyota Camry worth N9 million in exchange for land at Ibeju-Lekki”, he said.
Giving further evidence, he told the court that “the complainant paid the defendant in cash and transfers to his account. This is shown in the complainant’s statement. The staffers who collected funds from the complainant on behalf of the defendant are Ahamed, Richard and Godwin.”
According to him, when Ademolake came to adopt his petition, he brought some documents, including the Deed of Assignments for the land in Negombo and Ibeju-Lekki.
He further told the court that his team recovered N4.5 million from the property at Ogombo during the investigation and subsequently handed it over to the complainant.
“We have evidence of payments in cash and transfers to the staffers of the defendant. All were acknowledged by the defendant. When the complainant went to the land, he met other people on the land at Negombo,” the witness said.
The witness, during cross-examination by defence counsel, Bamidele Ogundele, stated that Adebayo was arrested alongside the three staff members.
“ They all confirmed that they received the money at different times for the defendant,“ he said.
Justice Dada adjourned the matter till November 12, 2024, for continuation of trial.
