A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered that Mrs. Tosin Olagunju, a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) official, be remanded in Suleja prison in Niger State for obtaining N12,400,000.00 from job seekers under false pretence with the promise that she can secure them employment.
Olagunju, who was charged with four counts of defrauding job seekers, pleaded not guilty after being given the charges. Following the defendant’s plea, the prosecutor, Princewill Eke, requested that the trial begin on a specific date.
M. A. Oloniruka, the defence counsel, informed the court that he had filed a bail application immediately before the court began sitting.
However, the application was not in the court’s file and, as such, was not ready for a hearing.
Oloniruka, after being informed of the status of his application, attempted to apply orally for his client’s bail.
Justice Nyako denied the defence lawyer’s attempt to ask for bail orally, emphasising that the court is a court of record, so all petitions must be formal and in writing.
Nyako then ordered that Olagunju be held in prison awaiting the hearing of her bail plea on October 9.
“This matter is adjourned till October 9 for trial. The defendant should be remanded in the Suleja correctional centre,” she said.
Olagunju, who is believed to live at Karu Site, Abuja, was accused of the following in a suit filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police under FHC/ABJ/CR/183/2024:
Count one of the charges read, “Sometime between 2010 and 2023, You Tosin Comfort Olagunji, obtained by false pretence and with intent to defraud Nigerians, including Billi Haruna Bwala, the sum of N12,400,000.00 in the pretence that you have the capacity of securing them employment with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and thereby defrauding them of N12,400,000.00 and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(1)© of the Advance Free Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.”
Count two reads, “That you, Olagunju Comfort (f) of Karu Site, Abuja, sometime between your 2020 and 2023 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired with others to commit an office to wit: criminal conspiracy thereby commits an offence punishable under Section 97(1) of the Panel Code Act, 2004.”
In count three, she was alleged to have, between the years 2020 and 2023, “been in any manner entrusted with the services of securing employment with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for Nigerians and dishonestly converted the sum of N12,400,000.00 to your own use in violation of the direction of law prescribing the mode in which such trust is to be discharged and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Act 2004.”
Count four reads, “That you, Olagunju Comfort (f) of Karu Site, Abuja, sometime between the years 2010 and 2023, fraudulently and dishonestly induced some Nigerians to part with the sum of N12,400,000.00, thereby cheating them of the said sum and causing damage to them, and thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 320 and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Act 2004.”
