A 16-year-old secondary faculty woman in Osun State (identify withheld), has been defrauded of the sum of N326,000 which she expended on a ponzi scheme.
The woman was mentioned to have been lured into the fraudulent quick-money scheme by a 19-year-old boy recognized as Olaniyan Taoheed.
Luck, nevertheless, ran out on Taoheed as males of the Osun State Police arrested and dragged him earlier than a Justice of the Peace’s Courtroom sitting in Osogbo on allegations of fraud.
The suspect, in response to police prosecutor, Inspector Kayode Adepoju, posed as an investor and manipulated the teenage woman into repeatedly transferring cash to him till it amounteed to N326,000.
Taoheed was arraigned on Monday on a two-count cost bordering on acquiring cash below false pretence and stealing, offences mentioned to be opposite to Sections 419 and 390(9) of the Felony Code, Cap 34 Vol. II, Legal guidelines of Osun State, 2003.
Adepoju knowledgeable the court docket that the younger defendant acted with clear intent to defraud, including that he fraudulently obtained the sum of ₦326,000 from the complainant’s household by means of deceitful on-line funding.
The complainant, Baruwa Augustine Oluwabukola, narrated to the court docket how the accused particular person gained entry to her daughter by means of a school-related WhatsApp group earlier than luring her into the faux funding scheme.
Oluwabukola defined that she had initially warned her daughter to not interact with the boy. “I informed her to dam him instantly as a result of I knew it was a rip-off,” she mentioned.
Regardless of the warning, {the teenager} allegedly transferred ₦2,000 from her private account to the suspect after he promised a return of ₦25,000. When she demanded her revenue, the suspect reportedly claimed that there was an issue with the platform and urged her to reinvest to unlock the returns.
The mom informed the court docket that her daughter fell for the rip-off repeatedly, finally transferring a complete of ₦324,000 from her (mom) account to the suspect. “It was surprising to find that the cash had been going out in small parts till it added as much as ₦324,000,” she mentioned.
Inspector Adepoju added that investigations confirmed that the defendant obtained the funds and used misleading techniques to persuade {the teenager} to proceed sending cash. “He exploited her belief with false guarantees of fast revenue,” the prosecutor informed the court docket.
Nevertheless, Taoheed informed the court docket that he had refunded ₦200,000 of the cash to the prosecutor, including that he had spent a part of the remaining cash on a smartphone.
Presiding Justice of the Peace, Olusegun Ayilara, assured the complainant that efforts can be made to get better the remaining cash. “The court docket will be sure that the complainant receives her a refund because the case proceeds,” the Justice of the Peace acknowledged.
Ayilara, throughout his ruling, faulted the 16-year-old woman for looking for quick-money schemes and suggested the mom to information her daughter correctly. He additionally condemned the actions of the younger defendant, warning that fraudulent practices can not substitute hard-work.
The Justice of the Peace granted Taoheed bail within the sum of N500,000 with a surety within the like quantity and adjourned the matter until February 19.
In the meantime, Ayilara ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre if the bail circumstances will not be met.