Court remands driver for alleged fraud, impersonation

Justice Nicholas Oweibo of a Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday, remanded a driver, Jackson Ndubuisi, in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS), for alleged impersonation and fraud.

Ndubuisi was remanded after he pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge brought against him by the police from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.

The police prosecutor, Mr. Sunday Oladitan Ayodele, told the court that the defendant with others now at large, sometime in March 2020, falsely presented himself to Ebenezer Omowunmi and Alexander Fayankinnu, that he was a driver, capable of delivering containers to port terminal at Apapa, Lagos.

The prosecutor also told the court that the defendant fraudulently obtained 43 containers from his victims, and allegedly sold them away. Ayodele further told the court that for the defendant to succeed in carrying out the alleged illegal acts, he impersonated one Nyeche Ndidi Osogor, whose name he used in defrauding his victims.

His offences are contrary to section 8(a); 1(1)(c) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

Also, his offences contravened sections 383 and 484 and were punishable under section 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Following the defendant’s plea of not guilty, the prosecutor prayed to the court for a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the NCoS, till the determination of the charge.

The defendant’s counsel, Mr. M. Udeagwu had no objection to the request of the prosecution counsel. The judge subsequently adjourned the trial to June 30, 2023, and ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the NCoS.