A 54-year-old man, James Bankole, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding his church member, Mrs. Uzoma Akubueze, of N850, 000.
Bankole, it was alleged, fraudulently collected the money from Mrs. Akubueze on the pretext of getting her an Australian visa.
Bankole, of 64, Coates Street, Ebute Meta, Lagos, is facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, stealing and false pretences before Chief Magistrate Mrs. T.A. Ojo.
Prosecutor Sergeant Nomayo Kenrich alleged that Bankole committed the offence with one other person, who is at large, on July 16 in Surulere, Lagos.
He alleged: “The accused collected the money from the complainant with a promise to get her an Australian visa and book hotel accommodation for her, but failed.”
Kenrich said rather than obtain the visa, the defendant converted the money to personal use.
He said the defendant wrote a letter of undertaking to refund the money to the complainant, but failed to do so.
The prosecutor said attempts to retrieve the money from Bankole failed.
The defendant pleaded not guilty.
Chief Magistrate Ojo granted him N100,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.
She said the sureties must be employed with evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government, adding that their addresses should be verified by the court.
Ojo added that the sureties must be relations of the defendant and live within the court’s jurisdiction.
The case continues on January 2.