3 arraigned for defrauding Lagos Speaker of ₦9.2m using his Facebook account

The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, of the Lagos State Police Command has arraigned three men before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, for allegedly defrauding the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, of ₦9.188 million.

The three men, Frank Nwokobia, 27; Ezeoke Kanayochukwu, 25, and Godwin Essien, 28, were arraigned before Justice Chuka Obiozor, on a five-count charges of conspiracy, impersonation, identity theft and fraud.

The defendants, who were arrested at different locations in Delta State, according to the prosecutor, William Ologun, had sometimes in May hacked the Facebook account of the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, and retrieved several information which they used in withdrawing N9.188 million from his account.

Arrested in Delta

The prosecutor informed the court that the defendants were arrested in Delta State, after the complainant, Obasa, petitioned the Police that his Facebook account had been hacked and that N9.188 million had been withdrawn from his account by unknown individuals.

The offences, according to the prosecutor, are contrary to Sections 27(1)(b) and 22(2)(b)(ii) of Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2015.

‘Not guilty’

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, after which their lawyer, Mr. Ali Abba, prayed the court to admit his clients bail in liberal terms. Ruling in the bail application, trial judge, Justice Obiozor, admitted the defendants to N5 million bail with one surety each.

The judge ordered that the sureties, who must be recommended by the defendants’ lawyer, must be residents of Lagos State, with landed property and three year tax.

The judge also stated that the landed property title documents and tax must be verified by the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar. The court also ordered that the three defendants be remanded at the Ikoyi facility of Nigerian Prison Service, pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

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