The police have arrested a suspected fraudster, Ikechukwu Iwezor, for allegedly obtaining N1.7 million from a blogger he met on social media site www.nairaland.com under the guise of designing a website for him.
The police said Iwezor, 28, worked with a syndicate who specialised in presenting themselves as website designers to customers in order to obtain money from them.
It was alleged that Iwezor advertised himself last September as a web designer on www.nairaland.com and persuaded a user of the social media site, one Akinlayo Ola, that he could build, maintain and provide support services for a website.
Iwezor, the police added, charged Ola N1.7m but after obtaining the money in tranches, fled without designing anything.
The suspect was arrested early this month at a house in Sauka, Garki opposite the Nigerian Immigration Service office in Abuja.
He was docked yesterday before Mrs F. F. George of an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.
Prosecuting Sergeant Innocent Odugbo told the court that the defendant and others who are still at large conspired to commit the alleged offences sometime between September 2015 and April 8, 2016, in Lagos.
The offences, he added, were punishable under Sections 409, 312 (2) and 285 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The defendant denied the charge.
Defence counsel Daniel Abbey urged the court to grant him bail in the most liberal terms as the offence he committed was a bailable one.
In a bench ruling Magistrate George granted ‎the defendant N300, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum, who must show evidence of three years’ tax clearance and have verifiable addresses.
She adjourned the case till September 14, for mention.