A BROTHER of late founder of Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB and property developer, David Olumide Aderinokun and a staff of the New Town Development Authority, NTDA, Balogun Adeniyi Abdul-Wakil have been remanded in court by an Igbosere Magistrate Court over alleged land scam.
They were docked for conspiracy, forgery, stealing and property fraud on parcels of land in Lekki Peninsula estimated at 2678.068 square metres.
Aderinokun, was arraigned separately on an eight-count charge bordering on the offence before Chief Magistrate Olufolake Oshin, and alongside Abdul-Wakil on another eight-count charge before the same court.
Aderinokun, trading under the name and style of Davade Properties, was alleged to have conspired with others now at large sometime in February 2016 to commit felony to wit stealing, forgery and obtaining money under false pretense.
According to the charge, Aderinokun criminally “converted a piece of land measuring approximately 1764.44 square metres situated at Plot 7B, Block CBD.1, Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1, Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, property of Ocean Trust Limited for your own use and to the use of others, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 287 of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.”
Police accused him of forging a Deed of Assignment with file number DLS/GC/110323 with the intention of using same to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
Aderinokun was also accused of allegedly fraudulently obtained N18 million from one Mrs Jumoke Fola-Alade on the pretence that he was the owner of the said property contrary to and punishable under Section 314 of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State.
A statement. Signed by the Assitant Director, Public Affairs Ministry of Justice, Kayode Oyekanmi says the duo was accused of conspiring with others now at large to fraudulently convert a piece of land measuring approximately 913.628 square metres situated at Plot 44, Block 77, Lekki Peninsula Scheme 1 in Eti Osa for their use.
The property which was registered as Number 96 at page 96 in Volume 1993p, belonged to Mr. Ben Adebisi Oyekunle and Mrs. Bukola Taiwo Oyekunle.
In one of the counts, Aderinokun and Abdul-Wakil and others now at large were said to have “on or about the 3rd of March, 2012 at Lekki area of Lagos State in the Lagos Magisterial District, possessed a fraudulent document (Deed of Assignment registered as No 91 at page 91 in Volume 2399) and presented same at the Lagos State Land Registry, Alausa, Ikeja for registration and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Law Cap C17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.”
Specifically, Abdul-Wakil was said to have used official information at his disposal to fraudulently convert the said land for his own use contrary to the law.
They pleaded not guilty while their lawyers – Stanley Imhanruor and Sunny Ogoh urged the court to grant them bail on liberal terms.
In her ruling, Magistrate Oshin admitted Aderinokun and Abdul-Wakil to bail in the sum of N10 million and two responsible sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a civil servant not below grade level 16 in the State Public Service and must get approval of the Head of Service to stand as surety.
Oshin also ruled that the other surety must be a staff not below managerial level in a reputable organisation and if self employed must show evidence of company registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC with a minimum balance of N1 million and tax clearance.
“The defendants are to deposit their valid international passports to the court, while the official and residential addresses of the sureties are to be verified by the prosecutor,” Magistrate Oshin held.
The defendants were also ordered to be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to February 2, 2018 for trial.