A 39-year-old trader, Olawiyola Ishola, who allegedly defrauded a woman of N20, 000 on the pretext of procuring a used laptop for her, on Monday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Ishola, who resides at Ipaja Area of Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of stealing and obtaining under false pretence.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the two-count charges.
The prosecutor, Insp. Victor Eruada, said the accused committed the offences on Feb. 1, at Command Road, Ipaja Lagos.
Eruada alleged that the accused collected the money from the complainant, Mercy Karonwi, and failed to get her the laptop as he promised, but converted the money for his personal use.
“All efforts made by the complainant to get her money or the laptop back failed,’’ he said.
The offences, he said, contravened Sections 287, 168 and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 stipulates three-year imprisonment for stealing while Section 314 stipulates a 15-year jail term for obtaining by false pretences.
In her ruling, the Magistrate, Mrs Dan Oni, granted the accused bail in the sum of N30, 000 with one surety in like sum.
She said the surety should show evidence of tax payments to the Lagos State Government and adjourned the case to April 30, for mention.