Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, on Tuesday, granted two female suspects, Blessing Chima and Chikamson Williams, arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos a bail of N200m for alleged N140m theft.
Chima and Williams, who are both 47 years old, were arraigned in the court via number FHC/L/709c/2024, filed against them by the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon-Ikoyi.
They are facing three counts bordering on obtaining by false pretence, stealing, and receiving.
The prosecuting counsel, Oladiran Ayodele, told the court that they committed the alleged offenses between July 4 and 5, 2024, in Lagos.
He stated that the first defendant, Blessing Chima, fraudulently obtained the sum in three installments —N25m, N50 m, and N75 m— from one Mr. Lanre Afebuameh, who owns Continental Lithium Limited.
Ayodele told the court that Chima claimed that she would exchange the money for Chinese currency and transfer it to Afebuameh’s business partners in China.
Ayodele further told the court that the second defendant, Chikamson Williams, received the stolen funds from Chima.
According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 1(1)(c) and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and Sections 383 and 427, 390(9) of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
However, the duo pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Their lawyers, A. O. Johnson and E. Etudo, submitted bail applications on their behalf.
However, the prosecutor informed the court that he had only just received the first defendant’s application while in court and requested more time to review it.
He stated that he had already reviewed the second defendant’s bail application and left it to the court’s discretion.
Following the court’s intervention, Justice Lewis-Allagoa ruled that both defendants would be granted bail.
He granted them bail in the sum of the sum of N100m each, with one surety each in like sum.
The judge ordered that the surety must own a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.
Consequently, Justice Lewis-Allagoa adjourned the case until December 10, 2024, for trial and ordered that both defendants be remanded at the female section of the Kirikiri Correctional Centre until they meet their bail conditions.