Businessman in court for attempted N5.8m fraud

A 56-year-old businessman, Christopher Okonkwo, was on Tuesday brought before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on a charge of attempting to defraud a stock broking firm of N5.8 million. Okonkwo, whose address was not provided, is facing a two-count charge of impersonation and attempting to commit a felony.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Augustine Orji told the court that Okonkwo committed the offences at 1.00p.m on December 17 at the Office of Central Security Clearing System, Marina, Lagos. He said the accused impersonated one Mr Abogu Onyebuchi, a customer of a stock broking firm. According to him, Okonkwo went to the Central Security Clearing System and requested that 1.9 million units of Transcorp shares in Onyebuchi’s name be transferred to another stock broking firm. Orji said that the fraud was, however, uncovered when the accused could not give satisfactory answers to some security questions required to make such a transfer. The prosecutor said the offences violated provisions of Sections 378 and 404 (2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Section 404 prescribes seven years imprisonment for anyone convicted for attempting to commit a felony. The businessman, however, pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge.
The Magistrate, Mrs Salama Matepo, granted the accused N200, 000 bail with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to January 28, 2015 for mention. Also, two brothers, Adekunle Animashaun, 34, and Babatunde Animashaun, 32, on Tuesday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, for allegedly assaulting a naval rating.