A businessman, Olukorede Roberts yesterday told an Ikeja High Court, how he was defrauded of N80 million by a self-styled estate agent, Alhaji Jimoh Olawale.
Olawale was arraigned before Justice Adenike Coker on a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, E. A Jackson, Roberts said he instructed his lawyer to petition the Police Special Fraud Unit on May 18 when he realised he had been defrauded.
Roberts said he paid N80 million to Olawale for a land at Block 2, Plot 1, Onikoyi Layout, Parkview Estate Ikoyi, Lagos.
According to him, the defendant falsely claimed to be representing the Onikoyi family, who are the owners of the land.
“I instructed my lawyer to petition the Special Fraud Unit since it is within their jurisdiction. The N80m was paid into the defendants three separate accounts in Stanbic IBTC, Fidelity and UBA. After paying the money, we went into a contract of sale,” he said.
He said he found out later that the defendant built the transaction on lies and had no contact with the Onikoyi family.
“The Onikoyi family denied knowing him and I further discovered that there was no trace that he transferred funds to the family. Alhaji Olawale claimed that he was working for the family but the family denied him. He also gave me receipt of payment which carried a letter head of a lawyer’s chamber, simply identified as Abiodun, who he claimed represented the family. Up till now, I have not gotten the land nor received back my funds,” he said.
The prosecutor tendered the documents of the contract of sales and receipt of payment.
The case continues tomorrow.