By Vera Chinonso Aliyu, YeyeNews.com, October 17, 2021
A lawyer in Benin, Mr. Eghosa Obaro, has reported his client to the police after the client tricked him with a fake bank notification message. The lawyer told YeyeNews.com reporter that he secured bail for his client (name withheld) who is a suspected fraudster, when he was arraigned before a Magistrate Court after spending close to one month in police custody.
“Because everything happened so fast, he pleaded with me to post his bail of N450,000 and promised to do a transfer of both the bail money and my professional fees immediately he retrieves his phones from the police”, Mr. Eghosa continued.
“I agreed because I didn’t suspect anything untoward about him. I got the alert immediately on my phone after he purportedly completed the transaction. But on getting home I realized no money entered my account. I have tried to call him but his phones have been unreachable for many days now and his whereabouts are unknown.”
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Akpakpava Police Station confirmed the request of Mr. Eghosa for the arrest of his client. “The lawyer has actually filed a complaint against his client. The suspect was actually arraigned for a similar crime. He seems to specialize in defrauding people with fake alerts”, the DPO narrated. “But for the lawyer who secured his bail, he would be chilling in Oko Correctional Center now. But after helping him out he just exhibited his nature by defrauding his lawyer N550,000.”
“This case is so amusing”, the IPO told YeyeNews.com reporter. “The lawyer was accusing us of illegally detaining his client. Most times we keep these habitual criminals in detention to safeguard society, but the lawyers will insist we release them on bail. I am sure Mr. Eghosa has learned the hard way this time.”