Lagos socialite, Seun Egbegbe, has case to answer, court rules 

Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos Nigeria  has ruled that a Lagos socialite, Olajide Kareem, alias Seun Egbegbe and his co-defendants have case to answer in serial fraud charges filed against them by the police.

The judge dismissed the ‘no-case submissions’ filed by the defendants and ordered them to open their defence on next adjournment.

In her ruling on the ‘no case submission’ of the defendants, Justice Oguntoyinbo, held that the police has been able to establish a prima facie case against them, which requires them to open their defence.

Consequently, the judge adjourned  the case till February 2, 2021 for the defendants to open their defence.

Egbegbe is standing trial alongside Oyekan Ayomide, Lawal Kareem, Olalekan Yusuf and Muyideen Shoyombo.

In the 40 counts charge brought against them by the police, the defendants were alleged to have defrauded no fewer than 30 Bureau De Change operators in Lagos of various sums, both in local and foreign currencies, between 2015 and 2017.

According to the prosecuting counsel for the police, Innocent Anyigor, Egbegbe and his cohorts swindled the BDC operators  of total sums of N39, 098,100, $90,000 and £12,550 over a period of two years.

The prosecutor submitted that they obtained the money from their victims by deceiving them that they either had foreign currencies to sell to or buy from the BDC operators.

Anyigor said the defendants acted contrary to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and were liable to be punished under Section 1(3) of the same.

However, the defendants had pleaded not guilty to all the counts which prompted the full trial.