By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has remanded a man, Chuks Abada, at the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) Ikoyi Centre after he pleaded not guilty to the charge for allegedly obtaining goods worth US$20, 000 from a Chinese woman, by false pretence.
The court remanded the man after he pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Milverton road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
During the defendant’s arraignment before Justice Akintayo Aluko, the prosecutor, Sylvester Azubike, through a charge numbered FHC/L/771c/2023, informed the court that the defendant fraudulently obtained the goods worth the sum of US$20, 000, from his victim a Chinese woman, named Xing Huiyuan, with the pretence that he will reimburse the woman, after selling the goods.
Azubike told the court that the defendant, refused and failed to remit the proceeds after selling off the goods.
He stated that the offence committed by the defendant, contravened Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
The defendant, who elected to take his plea on the charge, despite not having any legal representation, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
With the defendant’s not guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a short date commencement of trial of the defendant and asked the court to remand him in the Nigerian Correctional Centre..
Following the prosecutor’s submission, Justice Aluko, adjourned the matter to January 3, 2024, for hearing of the defendant’s bail application.
The charge against the defendant reads: “That you Chuks Abada ‘M’ sometime between 2010 and 2014 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain Goods valued at Twenty Thousand United States of America Dollars (20, 000.00 USD) only property of one Xing Huiyuan a Chinese Woman under the pretext that you will remit the money when the said goods are sold which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
