Couple allegedly impersonate Olofa,  Kwara lawmaker to defraud trader N2.7m

Stories by Abiodun Bolujoko

Alhaji Waheed Babatunde and Kudirat Shittu who claimed to be husband and wife were on Tuesday arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Ilorin, Kwara State for allegedly impersonating the Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II and a Kwara lawmaker respectively.
The couple were said to have used the personalities of the duo to defraud one Alhaja Mulikat Toyosi Yakubu who lives off Awolowo road, Aiyegbede street, Ilorin, to the tune of N2.7million.
The accused persons were dragged before magistrate Olubisi Olawoyin for the offences of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and cheating contrary to sections 97, 312 and 322 of the penal code law.
The First Information Report (FIR) revealed that the complainant through a petition written by the chamber of one Sunday Ike & Co. reported the matter at the Area Command Office, Ilorin on 1st April, 2019.
The Police report stated that sometimes in 2015, the two accused persons approached her shop at Ago market in Ilorin and introduced themselves as husband and wife.
The FIR added that the first accused person, (Shitu) further introduced her cohort as lawmaker who had won seat into the Kwara State House of Assembly during the 2015 elections.
Shitu, according to the FIR, introduced herself to the complainant as younger sister to Olofa of Offa.
Hence, the personalities of the people mentioned by the accused persons made the complainant build confidence and trust in them, the FIR divulged.
The first accused therefore informed the trader he is financially handicapped due to the election in 2015, and that he needed the money to travel to Abuja and prepare for his inauguration.
The accused were said to have jointly collected the sum of N2million from the complainant and promised to refund same as soon as he gets money from the Federal Capital city.
Subsequently, the FIR revealed that the accused persons continued to collect money from the complainant, to the tune of N2.734million.
The Police report further disclosed that the complainant later discovered through a reliable source that the suspect never won any seat to the House of Assembly and that they were not husband and wife.
Detectives at the Area Command Office swung into action after receiving the petition and invited the second accused who confessed to have committed the crime.
The second accused person was said to have been arrested for committing similar offence elsewhere while Babatunde was granted bail on Tuesday.
The prosecutor, Insp. Alhassan Jibril prayed the court to remand the accused person.
The accused person’s counsel, Barr. Toyin Onaolapo prayed the court to discountenance the submission of the prosecutor, saying his client is innocent of the allegation until contrarily proven by the court.
The magistrate in his ruling grant, admitted the accused to bail while the matter was adjourned to 16th May, 2019.