The police on Wednesday arraigned three persons in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly using the name of Afro-Juju icon, Sunday Adegeyi (aka King Sunny Ade KSA) to swindle members of the public to the tune of N3.1million.
Police charged Lawrence Oyedokun, 27; Rebecca Oyebode, 23; female, and Oyewumi Abiodun, 27 with four counts of conspiracy, impersonation, stealing and obtaining money under false pretences.
Oyedokun and Oyebode live in Osun State while Abiodun, who resides in Oyo State, however, denied committing the offence.
The Prosecutor, ASP Clifford Ogu told the court that the defendants committed the offence in March at Ikeja, Lagos.
Ogu said that the defendants created fake Instagram accounts of King Sunny Ade to dupe people.
“The defendants opened an Instagram page with Sunny Ade’s name, advertising that KSA would want to assist interested people to travel on music tours to Europe, America and Asia.
“They also wrote on the Instagram page that those who were interested in the tour should pay from N50,000 to N100,000 depending on the area of interest.
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”People began to pay money into the accounts the defendants provided and they were withdrawing the money daily and promising to contact the victims as at when due.
“The defendants were tracked to Oyo State where they were arrested.
“N95,000 was recovered from the defendants as they were withdrawing the loot,” the prosecutor said.
The offencce he said, contravened the provisions of sections 287, 314 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 carries three years imprisonment for stealing while section 314 attracts 15 years for obtaining money under false pretence.
Magistrate J.A Adegun, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N300, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Adegun ordered that all the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
He adjourned the case until May 22 for mention. (NAN)