BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A 38-year-old man, Michael Adewale Adeleke, has been arraigned at a Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State for allegedly issuing a bounced cheque to Living Trust Mortgage Bank to defray the loan that he borrowed to shore up his business.
The police docked Adeleke, a customer to the bank on the ground that he fraudulently obtained the sum of N3 million from the bank but defaulted on the terms of repayment.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Kayode Adeoye, said that the accused person stole the sum of N3 million and signed a bounced cheque as a cover up.
The charge against him read, “Michael Adewale Adeleke sometimes in the month of June, 2021 at Living Trust Mortgage Bank, Old Governor’s Office, Gbongan Road, Osogbo did fraudulently obtain the sum of N3, 000,000 (Three million naira) only from Living Trust Mortgage Bank Plc., Osogbo branch and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code, CAP 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“You (Adeleke) did steal the sum of N3,000,000 (Three million naira) only, property of Living Trust Mortgage Bank Plc., Osogbo branch and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 383 and punishable under Section 390(9) of the Criminal Code, CAP 34, Volume II Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“You (Adeleke), on the 29th of June, 2022 at Engineer Bode Street, Omobolanle area, Osogbo, did issue a dishonoured cheque of First Bank Plc. with account number 20237xxx07 and serial number 00728xxx02 for payment of (N3,752,000 (Three million, seven hundred and fifty-two thousand naira) only to one Living Trust Mortgage Bank Plc, Osogbo branch and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 1(b)(i) of the dishonoured cheque Act, CAP 34, Volume II Law of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
Adeleke pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Chief Magistrate Olusola Aluko remanded the defendant in Ilesa Correctional Centre and adjourned the case for ruling on his bail after the defence counsel, Tunbosun Oladipupo, urged the court to grant him bail.
When the case came up for ruling on bail, the prosecutor objected to the bail saying that the defendant had no traceable address.
Aluko dismissed the prosecution’s objection and granted Adeleke bail in the sum of N2 million with two sureties in the same amount.
He said that one of the sureties must be a blood relation to the defendant and must own a property within the court’s jurisdiction while the other must be a responsible member of the public.
The magistrate added that the documents of the landed property must be deposited in court till the case is finally determined.
The matter was adjourned till October 25 for hearing.
