BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
AN Osogbo Magistrate’s Court in Osun State, on Thursday, ordered the remand of a 45-year-old man, Olaleye Oluseyi Akanfe, for allegedly defrauding two job seekers and attempting to kill himself after he was arrested.
Akanfe was said to have attempted suicide after operatives of the Department of State Services in Osun State arrested him for the offence.
The suspect was accused of impersonating a personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps and obtaining a total of two million, three hundred and fifty thousand naira from the two persons by pretending to be able to secure jobs for them in FRSC.
When the suspect was nabbed and operatives of the DSS stormed his residence, located at Fatai Aresa Street, Osogbo, Osun State, on February 16, 2021, he was said to have attempted to kill himself by drinking a poisonous substance identified as Sniper before the security agents.
Meanwhile, the DSS dragged the suspect before the court and slammed him with a three-count charge bordering on fraud and attempted suicide.
The DSS prosecutor, B O Nweke, told the court that the defendant, between the months of September and December, 2020 in Osogbo, did falsely represent himself as a personnel of FRSC to one Sobakin Adedoyin, which he knew to be false and fraudulently obtained from her the sum of N2.2million.
Nweke added that the accused person, at the same time and in Osogbo, also swindled another job seeker, one Aderibigbe Adelakin Oluwasinjo, by obtaining the sum of N150,000 from him.
The prosecutor further explained to the court that Akanfe made an attempt to kill himself on February 16, 2021 by drinking poisonous insecticide identified as Snipper in the presence of operatives of DSS during a search operation carried out in his house.
The DSS prosecution then argued that the accused person committed offences contrary to and punishable under Sections 419, 484, 337 and 347 of the criminal code, Cap 34 Vol ll Laws of Osun state, Nigeria, 2002.
The defendant pleaded not guilty of the charges. His counsel, D. E. Eniolapo, urged the court to grant him bail and promised that he would provide reliable sureties.
In his rulling, Magistrate A. A Adeyeba, ordered that Akanfe be remanded in Ilesa Correctional Center.
The case waa adjourned till March 19, 2021 for rulling on formal bail application.
