A property agent, Onyeamaobi Ugochukwu, on Thursday appeared in an Upper Area Court in Zuba, FCT, for allegedly defrauding a businesswoman of N2 million.
The police charged Ugochukwu with criminal breach of trust and cheating.
He pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecution Counsel, Wisdom Madaki, told the court that the complainant, Ms Ngozi James who resides in Abuja, reported the matter at the FCT Police Command on May 13.
Wisdom told the court that on July 3, 2019, the complainant paid N2 million to the defendant’s Zenith bank account to procure a shop.
He alleged that the defendant disappeared with the money.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.
Defence Counsel, Elom Aleke, prayed the court to admit his client to bail, citing sections 36 (5) and 35 of the 1999 Constitution.
Aleke, also cited Sections 158 and 16 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.
He said that the defendant was a family man and has being on police administrative bail.
The prosecutor did not oppose the bail application made by the defendant’s counsel but prayed the court to give him a date to open his case against the defendant.
The senior Area Court Judge, Alhaji Gambo Garba, said:’having evaluated the applications, the court is convinced that admitting the defendant on bail would not in any way hurt the prosecution.
Garba admitted Ugochukwu to bail in the sum of N1 million with one surety in like sum.
He ordered that the surety must be a GL10 Officer in the federal civil service.
The judge adjourned the matter until Nov. 19 for further hearing. (NAN)
