The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, arraigned an impostor, Amusa Abiodun Azeez, who posed as a United States soldier before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos.
The EFCC is prosecuting Azzez on a four count-charge of alleged possession of fraudulent documents and retention of proceeds of criminal conduct to the tune of N88.12million.
One of the counts reads in part: “Amusa Abiodun Azeez, between the 24th of October 2021 to the 20th day of August 2021 in Lagos, retained the control of the sum of N88.12million in your First Bank account number 3085787943, which you knew to be proceeds of various internet and cyber-crimes.”
He is further accused of using his email address, jwallac154@yahoo.com linked to his mobile number 09064668567 to perpetrate online fraud by posing as a US soldier serving in Afghanistan with the name John Wallace.
When the charge was read to Azeez, he pleaded “not guilty” to the offence.
Thereafter, the prosecuting EFCC lawyer, S.O. Daji, asked for a trial date and urged the court to remand Azeez at a Correctional Centre, “as the EFCC’s facility is overstretched”.
But the Defence lawyer, O. Ajanaku, made an oral application for the bail of his client while Daji opposed the bail application on the grounds that he needed time to respond to the request for temporary freedom.
In his ruling on the matter, Justice Taiwo upheld the objection, saying that the prosecution had a right to respond.
The judge consequently ordered the remand of Azeez in EFCC custody and adjourned the matter till Thursday for hearing of the bail application.
