Cleric defrauds follower of N4.3m for sacrifices

The police have brought before the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Ikeja, an Islamic cleric, Kabiru Adebayo, for allegedly defrauding his follower, Oluwadamilola Oyesomi, of N4.3m.

It was gathered that Kabiru collected the sum on the pretext of performing some sacrifices for Oyesomi.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Kabiru allegedly collected the sum of N4.3m from the victim over two years and converted same to his personal use and disappeared when he learnt that the police were on his trail.

Kabiru was on Wednesday arraigned on two counts of fraud and stealing before Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The police prosecutor, Ben Emuerhi, who stated that Kabiru was arrested a year after committing the crime, told the court that the defendant committed the offences alongside others still at large in December 2018 at Pen- Cinema in the Agege area of Lagos.

According to Emuerhi, the offences contravene sections 280 (1) (a) (b) and 314 (2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Sule-Amzat admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, adding that the sureties must show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

She adjourned the case till February 24, 2020, for mention.

PUNCH.