The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, arraigned a 72- year-old virtually impaired man, Murtala Adebayo for allegedly defrauding a man of N19 million.
OsunDailyNG reports that Adebayo was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence before an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
The defendant, whose address was not given, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The EFCC counsel, Mr Babangida Isah, thereafter, prayed to the court for a trial date given his not-guilty plea.
The defence counsel, Bamidele Ogundele, however, told the court of a bail application dated Jan. 24 but the prosecution informed the court that it needed time to go through the bail to summon, praying for a short adjournment to enable him to move the application.
According to him, the defendant has health issues and is virtually impaired.
“We pray for a short adjournment for the bail application to be heard because of his health status my lord.
“He is a 72-year-old man and he is blind.
“We also pray that the defendant is in EFCC custody because of the state of his health so that his doctor can attend to him there,” he said.
Earlier, the prosecution told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offences in 2015 and 2019, respectively in Lagos.
Isah said the defendant, with an intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4.5 million from one Gafar Ademolake by falsely informing him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo Ajah in Lagos, a presentation he knew to be false.
The prosecutor submitted that the defendant also collected the sum of N5.5 million from the complainant as part of the payment for 18 plots of land in Ayogbemi Village in Ibeju-Lekki, which he knew to be false.
Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case until Feb 9 for a hearing of the bail application.
Dada ordered that the defendant remain in EFCC custody pending the hearing and determination of his bail application.
