Alleged N39 billion fraud: Police produce witness against filmmaker Seun Egbegbe, Others

The police have produced a witness in the ongoing trial of fraud cases levelled against a film promoter, Olajide Kareem, popularly called Seun Egbegbe, and five others.
This is in compliance with the order of the court. Egbegbe is being tried by the police before a judge, Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, at the Federal High Court, alongside Oyekan Ayomide, Lawal Kareem, Olalekan Yusuf and Muyideen Shoyombo.
The accused are being tried for allegedly defrauding over 30 Bureau de Change operators to the tune of N39,098,100 million: $90,000 and 12,550 pounds.
During the court proceedings on Wednesday, the judge had berated the police over the manner it handled the case.
She also ordered the police to produce its witness, Bello Abubakar, an inspector of police, who had testified before the court but never showed up for cross-examination.
However, despite the appearance of the police witness before the court on Wednesday, the judge declined to vacate her earlier order when requested by the prosecutor, Innocent Anyigor.
The judge also said the order will only be vacated when the ”police witness concludes his evidence.”
The case has been adjourned till October 17, for the continuation of cross-examination of the witness.
 
Egbegbe and his co-accused were re-arraigned by the police in a third amended charge marked FHC/L/40c/2017.
Their charges border on conspiracy, stealing, and fraud.
They were alleged to have defrauded over 30 BDC operators by falsely representing to them that they had foreign currencies to sell to or buy from the BDC operators.
The suspects were also alleged to have fraudulently obtained the sums of N2.450 million, and £3,000 from a certain Isa Adamu in Lagos on February 2, 2017.
The suspects are alleged to have committed the fraud under the guise that they wanted to see the naira and buy the pounds.
Some of the victims of the alleged fraud include Mohammed Sanni, who was allegedly defrauded of N2.46 million on January 1; Jubrila Ado who was allegedly defrauded of N1.257 million on September 9, 2016; Hassan Amodu, allegedly defrauded of N600,000 in January 2016; Sanni Hassan, defrauded off N1.43 million and £2,750 in August 2015.
Others are Saidi Abdullahi, defrauded of N700,000 on April 18, 2016; Atairu Abdullahi, defrauded of N1m on June 23, 2016; and Abdullahi Babadisa, defrauded of N650,000 in January 2016.
The police prosecutor, Mr. Anyigor, told the court that Egbegbe and his co-accused acted contrary to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and are liable to be punished under Section 1(3) of the same.
The suspects have denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They are yet to meet the bail conditions granted them and are currently being remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos.