By Anike Olamide
A 36-year-old man, Wasiu Akintunde, was on Friday brought before an Abeokuta Chief Magistrates’ Court for defrauding three men of over N1.1 million and forging survey plans.
Akintunde, whose address was not given in court, is facing a three-count charge of fraud, forgery and stealing.
The Prosecutor, Insp Olaide Rawlings, told the court that the defendant committed the offences in different locations between Jan. 2021 and March 2023.
Rawlings alleged that the defendant presented himself as a land surveyor and obtained money from three complainants – Mr Olamide Yusuf, Mrs Lateef Tijani and Mr James Adenle.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant fraudulently collected the sum of N490,000 from Yusuf; N210,000 from Tijani and N420,000 from Adenle.
The defendant, she said, was to provide the complainants with original survey plans of plots of land, but ended up giving them fake survey plans.
She also said that the defendant forged the following survey plans: OG/O785/2023/015, bearing Emordi Kimberly Agatha and OG/0785/2022/025, bearing Oyefusi Ridwan Oluwaseun.
She said the offences contravened Sections 419, 390 (9) 467 and 383 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Magistrate, Mrs M.O. Osinbajo, granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N200,000 with two surety in like sum.
She, thereafter, adjourned the case until July 17 for trial.