EFCC arraigns woman for alleged N43.5m fraud in Lagos

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned a 22-year-old woman, Mircale Enodano, at the Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja, for alleged N43.5 million fraud.

The commission arraigned Enodano on an eight-count charge of obtaining money under false pretences and theft.

She, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The EFCC counsel, Ahmed Yerima, told the court that the defendant fraudulently obtained N43.5 million from the complainant, Mr. Adedoyin Balogun, by inducing him to execute a segregated trading contract agreement to be managed by a broker, Hot Markets Nigeria Limited, as an investment.

The defendant, according to the prosecutor, had an understanding with the complainant that after six months of the investment, she would give him 60 percent of the total investment as return, a representation she knew to be false.

He added that the defendant committed the offence with SGMX Resources Limited and Ben Enodano between January and March 2021 in Lagos.

The defence counsel, Mrs.  Abiodun Adepoju, in her 12- paragraph affidavits urged the court to grant her client bail on liberal terms.

READ ALSO: EFCC arrests 40 suspected fraudsters in Lagos

Adepoju argued that the defendant had credible family members who were ready to stand as sureties for her.

The EFCC counsel, however, objected to the defendant’s bail application in a counter affidavit dated July 22.

Yerima, who argued that the defendant was being charged with a serious crime, however, put the decision at the court’s discretion.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum.

Taiwo ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed.

The judge, however said the defendant would be remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending the perfection of her bail conditions and adjourned the case till September 13 for trial.

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