The Police on Thursday arraigned one Obiaku Cbukwuebuka Kassy after he allegedly defrauded an America woman, Mary English, of the sum of $46, 400, 000 USD.
Obiaku was arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of Federal High Court, Lagos by the legal department of Inspector-General Response Team (IRT) on three count charges of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence.
Counsel to the police, Nosa Watson, A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) told the court that the defendant and others now at large, sometimes in February, 2019, lured their victim, Mary English, from United States of America (USA) to Nigeria, with love scam.
Watson explained that upon the victim’s arrival of Nigeria, the defendant and others fraudulently obtained her master cards and withdrew the mentioned amount from her accounts.
Narrating how the defendant and others defrauded the American, DSP Nosa stated that the defendant fraudulently withdrew the sum of $18,400,00 USD from the victim’s account between February and July 2019.
He also stated that the defendant further fraudulently withdrew the sum of $28, 000 USD from the victim’s account between August 2019 and May 2020.
The prosecutor told the court that the offences committed by the defendant are contrary to and punishable Sections 8(3) and 1 of the the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
The defendant, Obiaku denied the allegations.
The prosecutor therefore pleaded with the court for trial date and also urged the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS).
The defendant’s lawyer, however pleaded with the court to remand his client in the custody of IRT, due to COVID-19 pandemic, pending the filing, hearing and determination of his bail application.
Justice Oweibo ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of IRT and adjourned the matter till September 10, 2020, for hearing of his bail application.
