The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Monday, August 26, 2019, arraigned two people identified as Salisu Dashiru Saliu and Chinedu Israel Ekezie before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on a two-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N15, 184, 000.00K (Fifteen Million, One Hundred and Eighty- Four Thousand Naira Only).
One of the counts reads: “That you, Chinedu Israel Ekezie and Arome (still at large) sometime in 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N15, 184, 000.00K (Fifteen Million, One Hundred and Eighty Four Thousand Naira Only) property of Mr. Obiora Derrick Igboegwu, the Managing Director of Aggregate Bureau De Change Limited.”
Another charge reads: “That you, Alhaji Salisu Saliu, sometime in 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N1, 518, 400.00 (One Million, Five Hundred and Eighteen Thousand, Four Hundred Naira Only) of Mr. Obiora Derrick Igboegwu, the Managing Director of Aggregate Bureau De Change Limited.”
The first defendant, Saliu, pleaded guilty, while the second defendant, Ekezie, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
The prosecution counsel, Muhammad Kabir Hussain, informed the court that the first defendant had entered into a “plea bargain” with the Commission, adding that he (the defendant) had also restituted the sum of N1, 518, 400.00 to the victim.
Consequently, Hussain reviewed and adopted the fact of the case as the prosecution’s argument.
The prosecution counsel also prayed the court to deliver judgment based on the plea bargain agreement.
Counsel to the first defendant, Babafemi Olarewaju, confirmed that his client willingly entered into the plea bargain agreement with the prosecution.