Court Remands Man Over Forging C-of-O Fraud

Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos has remanded a businessman, Joseph Umezugha, at the Ikoyi Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) for allegedly forging a Lagos State Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) and N66 million fraud.

Justice Osiagor sent the defendant to jail after he pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge of conspiracy, obtained by false pretence, forgery and fraud, brought against him by the men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU).

The police prosecutor, Justine Enang, had earlier told the judge that the defendant and others now at large, sometime in January 2022, conspired among themselves and fraudulently obtained the sum of N66 million, from one Uchechukwu Umeh Elxor, by false pretence.

Enang also claimed that the defendant made his alleged victim believe he owned Saint Joes International Agency Limited and Jessica’s Global International & Suits Limited.

The prosecutor insisted that the offences contravened sections 8(a) and 1(i)(a) and were punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14, of 2006. And Section 15(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act, 2011) as Amended in 2012.

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The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.

With his not-guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and asked that the defendant be remanded in prison pending the determination of the charge against him.

But the defence lawyer, Chris Abubu, informed the court that he had filed and served his client’s bail application to the prosecutor.

Responding, the prosecutor said that he was served with a copy of the application while in court, and he needed time to react to it.

Following the development, Justice Osiagor adjourned the case to June 4 for trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services.