The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned a 36-year-old man, Joseph Oyediran, before Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Oyediran, one of the wanted suspects by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on internet fraud and other fraud related offences, obtaining money under false pretence, among others.
Count two of the charge reads, “That you, Joseph Oyediran (Joe MG, Morris Graves), sometime in May 2015, within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N1,421,968.00 (One Million, Four Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty Eight Naira) from one Andrea Smith, a white American woman on the false pretence that you were Joe MG, a white American man in love with her, a representation you knew to be false punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee fraud and other fraud related Offences Act no. 14 of 2006.”
Prosecution counsel, Sesan Ola, urged the court to accept the charge and allow the accused person take his plea, a request counsel to the defendant, M.A Bello, did not object to.
Oyediran, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against him.
Also Read:
Ola consequently requested for a trial date to enable the prosecution prove its case, while urging the court to remand the defendant in prison custody pending the hearing and determination of the matter.
Ruling on the submission, Justice Abdulgafar ordered that the accused person be remanded in Mandala Prison and adjourned the case to October 9, 2019 for commencement of trial.