Businessman in court for alleged N6m visa scam

A 53-year-old businessman, Akande Richard, on Monday appeared in a Wuse Zone Six Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja for alleged defrauding an applicant of N6 million for a U.S. visa.

The police charged the defendant, who resides at No 6, Musa Iya-Jigo Street, Bwari, Abuja, with criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating and using as genuine forged document.

He, however, pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution counsel, ASP Peter Ejike, told the court that the matter was reported through a petition to the office of the Area Comnander- Metro on June 15, 2020.

He alleged that the defendant between 2015 and 2016, deceived the complainant, Osewa David, into giving him N6 million to secure a U.S. visa for him.

The prosecutor, in addition said, the visa documents that the defendant eventually gave David were fake and forged.

He said that during police investigation, the defendant admitted that the documents were not genuine and that he had obtained them from one Morakinyo Adebisi, currently at large.

He said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 97,312,322 and 366 of the Penal Law Code.

Chief Magistrate Aminu Abdullahi admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Abdullahi ordered that the sureties must be responsible citizens with known addresses verifiable by court officials.

He adjourned the case until Feb. 22, for hearing.