Olusegun Abiodun Bolarinwa, the fake army General paraded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in January, has been remanded in prison by the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Premium Times, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, the presiding judge, remanded Segun following his arraignment by the EFCC on 13 counts of fraud, forgery and other offences.
The judge also directed that Bolarinwa be detained at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos, pending the hearing of his bail application scheduled for April 14.
In a statement released by the EFCC, the accused was charged with obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and possession of documents containing false pretence, among other charges. He has, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Bolarinwa was arrested over N266,500,000 fraud. Posing as a General in the Nigerian Army, he demanded a loan from Kodef Clearing Resources, a Lagos-based firm, to enable him to follow up his nomination as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by President Muhammadu Buhari, according to the EFCC.
The EFCC said Bolarinwa presented a forged letter of nomination as COAS, purportedly signed by the president, to press home his claim. The anti-corruption agency said Bolarinwa’s letter indicated that he needed to pay a certain amount of money to the Federal Government of Nigeria to process his appointment as COAS. This made it possible for him to obtain a short grant.
He was eventually arrested at his home in the Alagbado area of Lagos in January.
Documents found in his possession include a fake Nigerian Army Identity card, a fake recommendation letter purportedly signed by Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, and a forged certificate of confirmation from the Nigerian Army Headquarters.
Six pump action guns, three cartridge bullets, a swagger stick, and several other forged documents were also recovered from him during his arrest.
SOURCE: FIJ
