A businessman, Mr Gafar Ademolake has told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how a 72-year-old Lagos-based alleged crooked estate agent, Muritala Adebayo, (alias Oloriebi of Ajah) allegedly defrauded him three cars and millions of naira paid to him directed and his representatives.
Ademolake, who was led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Counsel, Mr Babangida Isah, told the court presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada that Adebayo who he met about eleven years ago is his father-in-law.
The witness said the defendant called him one day and said he should use proceeds from the business he was doing to give land to him.
According to the witness, he opened the transaction by giving the defendant N300,000 and N400, 000 before he (defendant) demanded for N1 million naira which he paid to him.
He said: “The defendant is the father of my wife and I met him around eleven years ago and he said I should be using gains from the business I was doing to be getting land from him.
“I started with the sum of N300, 000, N400, 000 in several tranches and it got to a time when he said I should give him N1 million naira, which I did.
“He also gave me the account number of his personal Assistant one Mr Goddy on this particular day and I told him I can only do a little transfer.
“I took N450, 0000 to Baba’s office that day and I later asked him if he has other landed property.”.
The witness further told the court that the defendant told him he has land around Ayegbami and Eleko in Lagos and he promised to give him eighteen plots from there.
He said: “I told him that there is need for us to seal our business deals so he paid N3.5million for the first three plots of land in Ogombo in Ajah and he wrote receipts for the eighteen plots of land.
“I never new that things was going wrong between us until he introduced me to one Mr. Akin.
“He called Akin who said they want to sell one estate behind Falling Rain Estate behind Brutish school and it was N7.5 million.
“I paid N1.5 million cash that day to Baba Muritala Adebayo. After that paid another N1million naira and the total amount I paid was N3.5 million.”
The witness further told the court that Mr. Akin warned him against paying money to the defendant as he was removing ridiculous commission from the payments.
He said that defendant vehemently denied collecting any commission, stressing that though he secured the land he discovered after two years of securing the land that the landed property has been taken over by another estate developer.
The witness told the court that upon discovery of encroachment on his property, he lodged a complain to the defendant and the defendant asked him to call Mr. Goddy who calmed him down with a promise to give him another landed property.
He also told the court that the defendant thereafter made a promise to be paying him N500, 000 for seven months.
He further said he paid N4.5 million before he stopped further payment, stressing that he has taken him to several places for the recovery of the 18 plots of land but to no avail.
When the witness was cross examined by the defence counsel Mr Bamidele Ogundele on documents to authenticate his testimony as there is no documents or receipts tendered before the court by EFCC, the witness said he had all the receipts of all payments made by him.
“I have all my documents and receipts including receipts of the three cars here in my bag,” the witness affirmed.
Attempt by the prosecution counsel to tender the available receipts through the witness during cross-examination was promptly declined by the court.
EFCC had on Jan. 24 arraigned the defendant on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge, following his arraignment.
The commission had alleged that the defendant, with an intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N4.5 million from one Mr Gafar Ademolake by falsely informing him that the payment was for three plots of land at Ogombo Ajah in Lagos, a presentation he knew to be false.
The prosecutor submitted that the defendant also collected the sum of N5.5 million from the complainant as part of the payment for 18 plots of land in Ayogbemi Village in Ibeju-Lekki, which he knew to be false.
He further alleged that the defendant collected two Toyota Camry 2005 Model cars and one Honda Accord 2006 Model, valued at N9 million from the complainant that the payment was for the balance of the 18 plots of land in Ibeju, a presentation he knew to be false.
According to the prosecutor, the alleged offences contravene Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case until May 14 for continuation of trial.
