Lagos estate agents defrauded 70 accommodation seekers of N16.6 million, court hears
The police in Lagos on Friday arraigned seven estate agents for defrauding 70 accommodation seekers of N16.6 million.
The defendants are Lukan Atanda, 60; Lukman Katibi, 42; Rotimi Ige, 59; Samuel Adeniji, 49; Thomas Ajayi, 49; Abayomi Olusegun, 42; and Hamzat Saheed, 42.
They all live at Egbeda in Lagos and appeared before the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Atanda, the first defendant, is a property developer, while the others are estate agents.
They are facing charges of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing but pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Insp Innocent Odugbo, told the court that the defendants committed the offences from November 2022 to July 2023 in Egbeda.
Mr Odugbo said the defendants obtained N16.6 million from 70 different accommodation seekers on the pretext of renting a mini flat for them.
The prosecutor said the defendants did not secure accommodation for the alleged victims or return their money.
The alleged offences contravene sections 287, 312, 314 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The magistrate, M. F. Onamusi, granted each of the defendants bail of N2 million with two sureties.
Ms Onamusi adjourned the case until November 8 for mention.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Anti-Corruption
U.S. charges Nigerian national Michael Agah with election-related crimes
Nigerian national Michael Agah, 74, a lawful permanent resident, has been charged with voting by an alien and making a false claim to U.S. citizenship to vote.
Rights
Association backs regulation of real estate sector to strengthen consumer protection
The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria has backed the proposed National Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
Heading 1
Google launches free offline AI learning hub for Nigerians
The platform currently supports English, Swahili and Arabic.
Education
ASUU resumes strike at Cross River university over unmet agreements
The chapter chairman said the union would sustain the industrial action until its grievances were addressed.
Heading 3
Sokoto ADC office sealed ahead of party’s presidential campaign flag-off
The commissioner said the property would remain sealed pending clarification from the NDIC.
NationWide
Foundation urges stronger accountability from social media platforms
Participants expressed concern about the growing influence of technology companies over users’ data and online activities.
