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| Bello |
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, on Monday, March 4, 2013 arraigned a former Kogi Central
Senatorial candidate, Alhaji Abdulazeez Bello Azeez, before Justice Adeniyi
Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, on a two count
charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence and
forgery, contrary to section 363 of the Criminal Laws No 34 Vol. 44 Laws of
Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Bello, 49, was arrested recently by
operatives of the State Security Services, SSS, at the Sheraton Hotels and
Towers, Lagos,
for allegedly impersonating the Director of Operations of the EFCC, Mr. Olaolu
Adegbite. He was at the hotel premises to further an advance fee fraud
scheme targeted at Mrs Mercy Orji, wife of the Abia State Governor, Mr.
Theodore Orji. He reportedly posed as the EFCC’s Director of Operations with a
fake identity card bearing the name of E. Adegbite.
Reports from the SSS indicated that Bello
was arrested on January 27, 2013 while negotiating with some aides of his
would-be victim. He was later handed over to the EFCC for prosecution.
At the EFCC’s office, the
politician-turned conman said that he was working with one Nelson Ndukwe and
Chuks Offor, both aides of Mrs. Orji to perfect his nefarious agenda of
swindling her. He confessed that he impersonated the EFCC’s Director of
Operations. “I’m sorry that I impersonated the Operations Director of the EFCC.
I did it to be able to arrest Mrs. Orji’s assistants who are said to be working
for her to launder money. It was my first time of doing this. EFCC should help
me out of this”, he said.
EFCC Counsel, ABC Ozioko, asked
the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant in prison custody.
However, counsel to the defendant, C. O. Taiwo said he had already filed
an application for bail and prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on
liberal terms. Ozioko however opposed the bail application on the grounds that Bello may abscond owing to
the seriousness of the case.
In his ruling, Justice Onigbanjo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a grade level 12 officer in the civil service and must have a landed property in Lagos. The two sureties must be resident in Lagos state.
In his ruling, Justice Onigbanjo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a grade level 12 officer in the civil service and must have a landed property in Lagos. The two sureties must be resident in Lagos state.
He adjourned the case to September 10
and 11, 2013 for hearing.
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