Estate agents remanded in prison over N50m fraud

LAGOS—JUSTICE J. E. Oyefeso of an Ikeja high court has ordered an estate agent, Alhaji Ola Alani Tijani, to be remanded in prison custody over alleged fraud. Tijani was accused of allegedly defrauding one Mr. Chimanda Onyemachi of N50 million naira being payment for a plot of land. The defendant was also accused of issuing dud cheques to Onyemachi in the said sum as refund of payment for a plot of land supposedly acquired for him in Agbado and Badagry area of Lagos State. When he was arraigned, he pleaded not guilty to a 10-count charge. The defendant allegedly committed the offence between 2010 and 2014 at 1, Aina Aladi Street, off Raypower Road, Alagbado. He was also accused of issuing dud bank cheques to pay Onyemachi in piecemeal. After his plea was taken, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Vivian Aigeadon, sought the order of the court to remand him and void his administrative bail. The defence counsel, Mr. John Ogunniyi, however, prayed the court to grant his client bail having filed an application for his bail. This was opposed by the prosecution and in a short ruling, the presi-ding judge adjourned further proceedings till January 26 to hear the summons for bail.