Justice Ismail Ojelu of the Ikeja High Court has ordered the detention of Abdulhamid Isah in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) on charges of an alleged $63,599 fraud.
Isah was on Wednesday, December 6, arraigned by the Lagos State command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by fake pretences, stealing, and retaining proceeds of criminal conduct.
The accused entered a plea of not guilty to all the charges.
According to the EFCC prosecutor, Nwandu Ukoha, the defendant allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities in October 2022, obtaining $63,590 through deceptive means.
Ukoha further asserted that the defendant also misappropriated this amount belonging to Chinedu Ugokwe.
He informed the court that the funds were handed to Isah with the intention of exchanging them for the equivalent amount in naira, a task the defendant allegedly failed to fulfill.
The defendant faced accusations of retaining the mentioned sum, suspected to be the proceeds of criminal conduct, and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following this, EFCC prosecutor Ukoha requested the court to detain the defendant until the trial begins.
In response, defense counsel Emmanuel Ogbeche presented a bail application, urging the court to approve it and suggesting that the defendant be held in EFCC custody.
In turn, Ukoha left the decision on the defense’s bail application to the court’s discretion.
Justice Ijelu approved bail for the defendant in the amount of N5 million, requiring two sureties to provide an equal sum.
The judge specified that one of the sureties must be a relative residing in Lagos state.
Furthermore, the sureties must provide evidence of a credible source of income, and the defendant must be present at every trial date.
Subsequently, the judge ordered the defendant’s remand in the Ikoyi Correctional Center until the bail conditions are met.
Justice Ijelu then scheduled the trial to resume on February 1, 2024.