Crime: Court Remands Fake General In Prison Over Alleged N266.5m Fraud

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has remanded a fake army general, Oluwasegun Abiodun Bolarinwa, in prison for impersonation.

Justice Taiwo sent Bolarinwa to prison after he was arraigned before her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 13-count charge of fraud, forgery and impersonation.

The EFCC accused the defendant of falsely presenting himself as a general in the Nigerian Army and obtained the sum of N266,500,000 from Kodef Clearing Resources Limited.

The anti-graft agency also claimed that the defendant carried out the acts under the pretence that the sum represented part of the amount expended to “press and process” his appointment by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, as the Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army.

He however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Upon his not guilty plea, the EFCC counsel, Abbas Omeiza Muhammed, urged the court to remand him in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services and fix a trial date.

Attempt by the defence counsel, Kayode Lawal, to move a bail application on behalf of his client was rejected by the court due to his failure to serve the EFCC with a copy of the application.