N15m Theft: Judge Revokes Clerk’s Bail

Justice Olusola Williams of an Ikeja High Court on Monday revoked the bail of Olufemi Oluyamoju, a clerk of Asset Management Group Ltd, charged with N15 million for failing to attend court proceedings. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Williams, the vacation judge, gave the order revoking the Oluyamoju’s bail after the defendant failed to attend a previous court sitting held on July 4. The judge, in her ruling, described the explanation for the absence given by Olayomoju and his counsel, Mr Olawale Olanrewaju, that they thought the date for the previous court proceeding was July 11 instead of July 4 as ‘flimsy’. “The bail granted to the defendant is revoked and he is to be remanded in Ikoyi Prison until further notice.” The clerk is facing a three-count charge of stealing, forgery of statement of account and using a fake statement of account. He, however, denied the charges. According to Mr E. A. Jackson, the prosecutor of the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), the defendant committed the offences between January and December 2016 at his employer’s office located at No. 2A, Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. “While he was employed as a clerk or servant of Asset Management Group Ltd., Oluyamoju withdrew N15 million from the company’s accounts without consent or authority.” He alleged that the accused forged a Union Bank statement of account from January to October 2016. Jackson said the defendant also fraudulently made use of the statement of account by presenting it as genuine to Asset Management Group Ltd. The offences contravened Sections 278 (a), 278 (2), (f), 285 (7), 361 (1), (a), 363 (1) and 364 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2011. The case has been adjourned until July 23 for trial.]]>