Land racketeer arraigned for issuing N2.5 million Dud Cheques

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, January 9, 2017 arraigned one Olajide Dele Oyegbami, before Justice A. A. Aderemi of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, on a 2-count charge bordering on issuance of dud cheque.

Oyegbami, a serial land racketeer who was recently arraigned for a similar offence was again docked following a petition to the EFCC alleging that the suspect sold a plot of land to the petitioner sometimes in October 2015.

Few weeks after the purchase of the plot of land, and construction work has commenced, Oyegbami allegedly instructed the petitioner to stop work on the land claiming that a woman (one Mojirade Adesokan) was in court over the said plot of land adding that, he didn’t know anything about the land dispute until November 2015.

Investigation however revealed that Oyegbami was privy to the case instituted by Adesokan and actually collected money for the sale of the said plot of land notwithstanding the restraint order placed on it by court.

The petitioner, having invested about N4million on the land in dispute, approached Oyegbami for a refund, but the defendant after much pressure issued two separate cheques of N1million and N1.5million which upon presentation at the bank were dishonoured by the bank due to insufficient funds in the account.

One of the counts reads:

“That you, Olajide Oyegbami Dele sometime in April 2016, at Ibadan within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Oyo state did issue a First Bank cheque No: 00107149 dated the 31st of May, 2016 for the sum of N1,500,000 to one Raphael Denedo which cheque on presentation within 3 months of issuance was dishonored for lack of sufficient funds in the account and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (b) of the dishonored cheques (Offences) Act Cap D11 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1 (1) (b) (i) of the same Act”.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge pressed against him.

In view of his plea, counsel to EFCC, Cosmas O. Ugwu, prayed the court for a trial date. But, the defence counsel, S. O. Sanni, informed the court that he had a pending application dated January 4, 2017 which was filed in court and served on the prosecuting counsel same date.

Moving the application, Sanni prayed the court to admit his client to bail.

Justice Aderemi granted bail to the accused in the sum of N200,000 (two hundred thousand naira) with two sureties in like sum. The sureties who must be civil servants working in the state must not be below salary grade level 10. One of the sureties must have landed properties within the Ibadan Jurisdiction and the defendant must report to the EFCC office every Monday morning pending the determination of the matter.

The case has been adjourned to February 27- 28 and March 1, 2017 for trial.

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