A freight agent, Chief Basil Nwolisa, has been remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos over an alleged N58.7 million fraud.
The order was given by Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala after Nwolisa pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, and stealing. The charges were filed by operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Onikan, Lagos.
The prosecutor, Chief Superintendent of Police Omonyimenle Eliot Ijie, told the court that the defendant and other suspects still at large allegedly committed the offences in December 2024.
According to the prosecution, Nwolisa allegedly obtained N54,955,000 from one Chinedu Emmanuel Obi under the pretext of supplying two 40-foot containers through a Customs auction. The prosecutor said the containers were never delivered and the money was not refunded.
The court also heard that the defendant allegedly transferred and converted N3,805,000, said to be part of the proceeds of the alleged fraud, between 2024 and 2025.
The offences are said to contravene provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006; the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022; and the Criminal Code Act.
After the defendant entered a not guilty plea, the prosecutor asked the court to fix a trial date and remand him in a correctional facility pending trial.
Defence counsel Abdulmalik requested a short adjournment to enable him file a bail application and urged the court to allow his client remain in police custody pending the hearing of the application. However, Justice Kala declined the request, citing relevant legal authorities.
The court subsequently ordered Nwolisa’s remand in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services and adjourned the matter until March 17 for the hearing of his bail application.
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