Police arraign businessman for alleged impersonation

The Police on Monday arraigned a 30-year-old businessman, Ahmed Taludeen, in a Kado Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, for allegedly impersonating as a naval officer and defrauding a guest house.

The police charged Taludeen of Zoo road Housing Estate, Kano State, with criminal trespass and cheating by impersonation.

The prosecution counsel Stanley Nwafoaku, told the court that on Feb. 16 at about 9:00 a.m, the complainant, Benson Faith of Apo legislative quarters, Abuja, reported the matter at Life Camp Police Station.

Nwafoaku alleged that on Feb. 2, at about 6:00 pm, the defendant criminally trespassed into Santos Guest House and Lodge, were he impersonated as a naval officer and lodged for two weeks.

The prosecution counsel alleged that the defendant accumulated a bill of N201,000 and when he was asked to pay, he jumped over the fence into a fire service building where he was arrested.

Nwafoaku told the court that during police investigation, the defendant admitted to the crime. The prosecution counsel added that the offence contravene sections 342 and 324 of the penal code law.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defence counsel, Cajetan Nnaemeka, made a bail application for the defendant in the most liberal terms.

Nnaemeka made the application, citing sections 36 of the 1999 constitution and sections 158 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, promising that the defendant will not jump bail if granted.

The prosecution counsel, however, did not object to the bail application made by the defence counsel.

The Judge, Muhammed Wakili, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N300,000 and one surety in like sum.

Wakili ordered that the surety must provide a BVN print out, recent passport photograph and a valid identification card, which must be verified by the court registrar.

The Judge adjourned the matter until April 18, for hearing.