Three persons have been arraigned before at Ojo Magistrate Court in Lagos on a four-count charge of conspiracy to commit fraud, impersonation, forgery and tampering with electricity installations within the Ojo District of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC).
The three, identified as Magnus Obinali, Success Akamoye, and Jolayemi Oluwatomi, reportedly received a sum of 70,000 from unsuspecting customers who wanted to get their prepaid meters repaired and placed them on a direct connection.
EKEDC General Manager Corporate Communications, Godwin Idemudia, condemning the acts of impersonation, forgery, tampering and conspiracy to commit fraud, said the company’s commitment to bringing perpetrators of such acts to book.
A statement from EKEDC noted that the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges as the case has been adjourned to 4th August for hearing.
The court granted the first, second and third defendants bail in the sum of N200,000 and N100,000 respectively with two sureties in like sum, who must be gainfully employed in Lagos State and must provide three years tax clearance certificate or evidence of tax payment.
The court ordered the remand of the three suspects in Kirikiri facility of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) pending the perfection of their bail conditions.
“It is rather too unfortunate that people go about parading themselves as our staff when they are not. Obinali is a cleaner within our network who forged the company’s identity card to perpetrate evil against our esteemed customers,” Idemudia said.
“It is pathetic that a third-party cashier and the field representative conspired to swindle our customers. We will go the full extent of the law and this will serve as a deterrent to others aiming to do the same.”
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