A 33-year-old legal practitioner, Luka Yabagi, was on Tuesday docked in a Life Camp Chief Magistrates’ Court in Abuja, for allegedly cheating his client of N7.2 million.
The police charged Yabagi with cheating, criminal breach of trust and forgery.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecution Counsel, Mrs Charity Nwachukwu, told the court that one Mr Mukhtar Isah of No 4, Goodluck Jonathan Street, Dakwa, Abuja reported the matter at the Gwarinpa Police Station on December 9, 2024
Nwachukwu said that the defendant dishonestly and deceitfully made the complainant to believe he had the connection to process land allocation for him at the Federal Capital Development Authority.
The prosecutor said that the complainant paid N7.2 million to the defendant’s Access Bank account 1466739589 bearing Linus Luka.
Nwachukwu said the defendant fraudulently and dishonestly gave the complainant an offer of statutory right of occupancy, statutory right of occupancy bill, site plan and a certificate of occupancy No.FCT/MZTP/LA/CUS/2047.
She said the all the documents bore Paiamist Nig. Ltd as the allottee with plot No: 2233 located at Gozape II.
Nwachukwu told the court that the defendant deceitfully presented all the said forged document to the complainant and converted the N7.2 million that was meant for the land process and documentation to his personal use.
She also informed the court that the defendant absconded and all efforts made to reach him failed.
The police said the defendant was later tracked and apprehended.
She said during investigation, the police discovered that the purported documents the defendant issued to the complainant were altered, forged and did not emanate from the department of Land Administration.
Nwachukwu said that the offence contravened provisions of Sections 322, 312, 364 and 366 of the Penal Code.
The Chief Magistrate, Musa Jobbo, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in like sum.
Jobbo ordered that the sureties must produce a reliable means of identification before the court registry.
He said that one of the sureties must be a property owner and must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.
Jobbo ordered the defendant to deposit the sum of N2 million to the FCT high court registry and adjourned the matter until June 19 for hearing.
