A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered on Wednesday that Mrs. Tosin Olagunju, an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, be remanded in Suleja prison, Niger State.
According to The PUNCH, this decision followed allegations that she fraudulently obtained N12,400,000.00 from job seekers, falsely promising employment opportunities.
Olagunju faced a four-count charge related to scamming job seekers. After the charges were read, she pleaded not guilty.
Following her plea, prosecuting lawyer Princewill Eke requested a date to commence the trial. The defense lawyer, M. A. Oloniruka, had filed a bail application earlier, but it was not present in the court’s file and thus not ready for hearing. Oloniruka then sought to apply for bail orally, but Justice Nyako denied this request, emphasizing that the court required formal, written applications.
Justice Nyako ordered Olagunju’s remand in prison until her bail application hearing, scheduled for October 9, stating, “This matter is adjourned till October 9 for trial. The defendant should be remanded in Suleja correctional centre.”
The charges, filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police under the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/183/2024, detail the following:
Count one: “Sometime between 2010 to 2023, You Tosin Comfort Olagunji, obtained by false pretence and with intent to defraud Nigerians, including Billi Haruna Bwala, the sum of N12,400,000.00 in the pretence that you have the capacity of securing them employment with the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps and thereby defrauding them of N12, 400,000.00 and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(1)© of the Advance Free Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006.”
Count two: “That you Olagunju Comfort (f) of Karu Site, Abuja, sometime between your 2020 to 2023 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire with others to commit an office to wit: criminal conspiracy thereby commits an offence punishable under Section 97(1) of the Panel Code Act, 2004.”
Count three alleges that between 2020 and 2023, she “been in any manner entrusted with services of securing employment with Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for Nigerians and dishonestly convert the sum of N12, 400,000.00 to your own use in violation of the direction of law prescribing the mode in which such trust is to be discharged and thereby commit an offence contrary to Section 311 and punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Act 2004.”
Count four: “That you Olagunju Comfort (f) of Karu Site, Abuja sometime between the year 2010 and 2023 fraudulently and dishonestly induced some Nigerians to part with the sum of N12,400,000.00 am thereby cheating them of the said sum and causing damage to them and thereby commit an offence contrary to section 320 and punishable under section 322 of the Penal Code Act 2004.”
