nursing mother arraigned for allegedly defrauding Lagos pastor Tony Rapu, others of N23m
THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned one Olawunmi Dilureni for allegedly defrauding Popular Lagos Pastor, Tony Rapu and two other people of about N23m.
Diluremi allegedly presented a diesel supply business with a monthly return of 6.5 percent to the victims of the ‘fraud’ but the money was eventually converted to her personal use.
Diluremi was arraigned before Justice Sherifat O. Solebo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on an 8-count charge of Conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
The defendant was charged in court alongside Lola Aremu Anjorin, Tunde Jamiu, Oluremi Osobu and Home Concepts Limited who are all at large.
They were accused of conspiring to defraud Pastor, Dr Tony Rapu, Nellie St. Matthew-Daniel and Eyitope St. Matthew-Daniel of the said sum, claiming that it was for diesel supply, but converted the money for their personal use.
One of the counts reads that you, Olawumi Dilureni on or about the 16th day of April 2013 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court obtained the sum of N10, 000, 000. 00 (Ten Million Naira only) from one Dr. Anthony Rapu under the pretence that the money is for investment in diesel supply business with a monthly interest rate of 6.5% which pretext you knew to be false and committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14 of 2016.
Another count reads that you, Olawunmi Dilureni on or about 17th April 2013 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court dishonestly converted for your own use the sum of N10, 000, 000. 00 (Ten Million Naira) only property of Tony Rapu and committed an offence contrary to Sections 278 and 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State No. 11, 2011.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges
In view of her plea, the prosecution counsel Giwa Fadeke(Mrs) prayed the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in the prison custody.
Counsel to the defendant, Tunde Kolawole responded by informing the court that a bail application had been filed on his client’s behalf.
“My Lord, we just filed the bail application. The defendant has been in prison custody since last week Thursday and she is also a nursing mother,” he said.
Giwa, however, told the court that she was served the application the day before and had not responded to it. She asked for a short date to enable her reply in writing.