Suleiman Gbajabiamila, 63, was arrested yesterday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Gbajabiamila was arraigned last year on a two-count charge of defrauding a Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, Lateef Adeyemo, of N30 million.
According to the charge, Gbajabiamila, who pretended to be an estate agent in 2021, fraudulently collected and converted funds intended for Adeyemo’s purchase of a two-bedroom flat between September and October 2021.
The suspect, who is said to have been on the run for months, was first arraigned before Chief Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun on charges of stealing and false presentation, both of which are punishable under Section 287 of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2015.
According to the police, Gbajabiamila was on a transaction binge during the time period, with some of the bank transfers going between him and his wife.
According to the police in charge of the case, the victim also paid N150,000 to have the perpetrator tracked down, but it was difficult to find Gbajabiamila because he chose to be offline.
However, on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, he put on his phone and was tracked.
Gbajabiamila was arraigned for the first time on June 20, 2022, and the case was adjourned until July 25, 2022.
Chief Magistrate Olatunbosun remanded Gbajabiamila in Ikoyi Correctional Centre until January 2023 in October 2022, but she was released on December 24, 2022.
At yesterday’s resumption of the case, Gbajabiamila’s counsel requested an adjournment to allow the parties to settle the matter, which the presiding judge granted.
The case was postponed until April 5, 2023 for further proceedings.