Men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan zonal office have arraigned an alleged internet fraudster before Federal High Court, Ibadan.
The court presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik reprimanded the accused named Ismail Yunus in Agodi prison pending the commencement of trial.
Yunus was arraigned on eight count charges bothering on Advance Fee Fraud and obtaining money by false pretences through sending of nude female pictures to unsuspecting victims .
One of the counts reads: “That you Ismail Yunus sometime in 2018, at Oyo town, Oyo state, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $70 USD (Seventy United State of America Dollars), only from Steve Harvey, a United State of American Citizen when you falsely represented that you a woman (knox Ruby from Dayton Ohio, United State of America), which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offense contrary to section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offenses Act 2006”.
The accused pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the offenses when read to him.
Due to his ‘not guilty’ plea, the prosecution counsel, Shamsudden Bahir, prayed the court for a trial date and an order to remand the accused person in prison custody pending the determination of his case.
The defense counsel, Okunyemi Tajudeen, made an oral bail application on behalf of his client, but the judge refused to grant his request.
The case was adjourned to May 14, 2019 for trial, while the defendant was to be remanded in the Agodi prison custody.
