An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Shittu Babatunde, on Wednesday,
gave evidence before a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin as to how Azeez Yakubu Afolayan, defrauded job-seekers of about a million naira, posing as the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd).
EFCC in a statement signed by Tony Orilade, said Afolayan is facing a four-count charge bordering on impersonation, job scam and obtaining money by false pretence.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan, between the months of November 2018 and January 2019 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with the intent to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N267,000 only from one Usman Janet Opeyemi through your UBA account number under the false pretence that you are capable of securing employment for her son with the Nigerian Customs Services; the representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
Testifying before Justice M. Abdulgafar as the fourth prosecution witness, Babatunde narrated how the defendant used fake documents to defraud his victims.
He said: “We wrote to the bank to request for his bank details, and the bank replied us with documents, which showed Azeez Yakubu Afolayan as the signatory to that account; it has his picture, phone number and signature.
“Our investigations revealed that many individuals deposited various amount of money into that account.
“One Mrs. Janet Usman Opeyemi paid a sum of N267,000 into the account in order for her son to secure a job at the Nigerian Custom Service, while one Mr Tajudeen Gambari paid about N150,000.
“The purposes for the payments were not met.”
Prosecuting counsel, Christopher Mschelilia, thereafter sought to tender the bank documents as evidence against the defendant.
But defence counsel, A.A. Rabiu, raised objections to the admissibility of the documents.
Justice Abdulgafar, however, overruled the objection, admitting the statement of account as exhibit.
Mschelilia informed the court that the prosecution closed its case with the testimony of the fourth witness.
The case has been adjourned to April 12, 2019 for the defendant to open his defence.