Fraud: Police Arraign Oil Marketer Granted State Pardon

The police in Lagos State have arraigned an oil marketer, Emmanuel Morah, before the Federal High Court in Lagos for offences bordering on alleged fraud and issuance of dud cheques.

Morah was among the convicts recently granted pardon by the federal government on health grounds, but he is yet to be released from the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS).

The defendant was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment by Justice Lateefat Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court on January 26, 2018, on fuel subsidy support fund fraud, amounting to N789.6 million.

Dissatisfied with the verdict, the defendant filed an appeal, which was dismissed on October 26, 2018, by Justice Shagbaore Ikyegh, who led a panel of three justices of the appellate court.

But he is now facing another fraud charge in which he was accused of obtaining the sum of N24 million, from one Alhaji Kayode Kasumu, the chairman/chief executive officer of Beauty and Fragrance International Limited, under a false representation that he will use the money to complete a property at No. 10 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, within two months, and rent part of it to him.

The police also alleged that the defendant issued a Diamond Bank cheque number 86584589, dated October 2, 2016, with monetary value of N10 million, with account name, Rocky Energy Limited, in favour of Beauty and Fragrance International Limited, which upon presentation for payment was rejected and dishonoured on grounds of insufficient funds in the account.