The Lagos State Government on Wednesday arraigned a brother
of late founder of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) and property developer, David
Olumide Aderinokun and a staff of the New Town Development Authority (NTDA),
Balogun Adeniyi Abdul-Wakil before an Igbosere Magistrate Court over alleged
conspiracy, forgery, stealing and property fraud on parcels of land in Lekki
Peninsula estimated at 2678.068 square metres.
Aderinokun, who is the husband of media personality,
Stephanie Coker, was arraigned separately on an eight-count charge bordering on
the offence before Chief Magistrate Olufolake Oshin, and alongside Abdul-Wakil
on another eight-count charge before the same court.
Aderinokun, trading under the name and style of Davade
Properties, was alleged to have conspired with others now at large sometime in
February 2016 to commit felony to wit stealing, forgery and obtaining money
under false pretense.
According to the charge, Aderinokun criminally “converted a
piece of land measuring approximately 1764.44 square metres situate at Plot 7B,
Block CBD.1, Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos
State, property of Ocean Trust Limited for your own use and to the use of
others, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 287 of the Criminal
Law Cap C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.”
He was said to have forged a Deed of Assignment with file
number DLS/GC/110323 with the intention of using same to defraud unsuspecting
members of the public.
Also, Aderinokun was alleged to have fraudulently obtained
N18million from one Mrs Jumoke Fola-Alade on the pretense that he was the owner
of the said property contrary to and punishable under Section 314 of the
Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State.
In the other charge, Aderinokun and Abdul-Wakil were said to
have conspired with others now at large to fraudulently convert a piece of land
measuring approximately 913.628 square metres situated at Plot 44, Block 77,
Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1 in Eti Osa for their use.
The property in question, which was registered as Number 96
at page 96 in Volume 1993p, belonged to Mr Ben Adebisi Oyekunle and Mrs Bukola
Taiwo Oyekunle.
In one of the counts, Aderinokun and Abdul-Wakil and others
now at large were said to have “On or about the 3rd of March, 2012 at Lekki
Area of Lagos State in the Lagos Magisterial District, possessed a fraudulent
document (Deed of Assignment registered as No 91 at page 91 in Volume 2399)
knowing fully well that the document was false and presented same at the Lagos
State Land Registry, Alausa, Ikeja for registration and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol.3, Laws of
Lagos State, 2015.”
Specifically, Abdul-Wakil was said to have used official
information at his disposal to fraudulently convert the said land for his own
use contrary to the law.
After the charges were to them, the defendants pleaded not
guilty, while their lawyers - Stanley Imhanruor and Sunny Ogoh urged the court
to grant them bail on liberal terms.
On his part, the prosecutor from the Lagos State Ministry of
Justice, Dr Babajide Martins applied that the defendants be remanded in
custody, as well as a date for trial.
In her ruling, Magistrate Oshin admitted Aderinokun and
Abdul-Wakil to bail in the sum of N10million and two responsible sureties in
like sum. One of the sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 16
in the State Public Service and must get approval of the Head of Service to
stand as surety.
The defendants were also ordered to be remanded in Kirikiri
Maximum Security Prison pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
Hope they meet the bail conditions...
Christmas in Kirikiri is beyond painful.
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