A 56-year-old car dealer, Rasaq Abolaji Mumini and one Mrs Lawal Olawande Mariam have been arraigned for selling a forfeited property without due authorisation and obtaining money under false pretence.
In a Tuesday statement, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said its Ilorin Zonal Command arraigned the defendants on Monday, February 5.
The EFCC said the defendants were arraigned on two-count charges before Justice Kamorudeen Olawoyin of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.
The defendants allegedly sold a property, which is under attachment by the EFCC without lawful authorisation.
The said property, which is a four-bedroom apartment, is situated at Dubere in Ogbomosho, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Rasaq Abolaji, Lawal Olawande Mariam and others still at large sometime in December 2022, at Ogbomosho, Oyo State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without due authorization sold a Four Bedroom Apartment situate at Dubere Area of Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State to Mrs Felicia Adeyemi at the sum of N13,500,000.00 (Thirteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) a property that was subject of attachment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 32 (1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004”.
The EFCC said investigations revealed that the second defendant (Lawal Olawande Mariam), wife of the owner of the property, Mr. Adebayo Abiodun, was said to have been introduced to Mumini through a friend with the aim of helping her clean off the EFCC inscription on the property.
The commission said it marked the apartment after it discovered that the property was acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
The EFCC said further investigations also revealed that Mumini obtained the sum of N3.05 million from Mrs. Mariam under a false pretence that the money was demanded by the operatives of the EFCC in order to clean the Commission’s inscription, “KEEP OFF EFCC UNDER INVESTIGATION”, on the four-bedroom apartment.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges thereby setting the stage for a trial.
Consequently, Justice Olawoyin ordered the remand of the defendants in the custody of the EFCC and adjourned till Monday, February 12, 2024, for hearing of their bail applications.