The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office on Monday, March 1, 2021, arraigned one Olukoya Emmanuel Adeyemi before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan.

Olukoya who claimed to be working with a Chinese company was arraigned on a 30-count charge bordering on obtaining under false pretence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable by Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

One of the charges reads: “That you, Olukoya Emmanuel Adeyemi ‘M’ on or about the 26th day of April 2019 in Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N77,000.00 (Seventy-Seven Thousand Naira Only) from one Ajiboye Adeniye Hammeed through your Access Bank Account No. 0728344783, under the false pretence that you have given him employment with the Nigeria Customs and that the payment was for the Custom job replacement and training kit, a pretext which you knew to be false and you deceitfully made it, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable by Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges

In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Chidi Okoli applied for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Counsel to the defendant, Peniela Akintujoyen moved a motion praying the Court to admit the defendant to bail. The application was however opposed by the prosecution counsel.

After listening to the argument of both counsel, Justice Abdulmalik remanded the defendant in Agodi Custodial Centre and adjourned the case till March 31, 2021, for trial and ruling on the defendant’s bail application.

Trouble started for Adeyemi following a petition received by the Commission, alleging that sometimes in 2019 he obtained several sums from unsuspecting victims on the pretext that he had secured employment slots for them with the Nigeria Customs Service and extorted over N1, 000, 000 from his victims.