Man Remanded over Alleged Defilement of Minor

Justice Rahman Oshodi of a Lagos Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja has remanded one Chidi Gabriel at the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre on charges of allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl.

The Lagos State government charged Gabriel with one count of defiling a minor. Prosecutors alleged that on or around June 23, 2020, at Okokomaiko junction, Alaba, Lagos, the defendant (Gabriel) unlawfully had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl by inserting his penis into her private parts.

Following Gabriel’s plea of not guilty, the prosecuting counsel, Ms Bukola Okeowo, requested a trial date. Justice Oshodi subsequently ordered the defendant’s remand at the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre and adjourned the trial to May 7, 2025.

Meanwhile, Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja, has heard how a former staff of Punch Newspaper Limited, Olusegun Ogunbanjo, allegedly used the company’s name to defraud friends and associates of N998 million.

A prosecution witness, Mr Durodola Balogun, testified that Ogunbanjo exploited his relationship with victims through false representations and forged documents bearing Punch’s name.

Balogun, a business consultant and secondary school classmate of Ogunbanjo, revealed this during an ongoing trial. Ogunbanjo faces an eight-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining under false pretences, stealing, and forgery, alongside his companies—Vaneloo International Limited, Valeco Global Ventures, and Bound Media Limited—in a case marked ID/21559C/2023.

Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr Babajide Martins, Balogun alleged that Ogunbanjo fraudulently obtained N417 million from him and N581 million from another victim, Mr Olushola Ikuyajesin, between 2017 and 2022. The funds were supposedly for financing Local Purchase Orders (LPOs) linked to Punch.

Balogun recounted how Ogunbanjo falsely claimed to have management approval to build staff accommodation at Punch’s head office and later claimed to be the Managing Director of the company. He also presented forged documents and fake emails to support his assertions.

“He told me Punch had reviewed my CV and that I was being considered for the position of Director of Strategy. He even sent me a fake email purportedly from the chairman. Trusting him as an old schoolmate from Ijebu Ode Grammar School, I initially invested N5 million in his venture with promises of profit-sharing,” Balogun testified.

Balogun revealed that Ogunbanjo misappropriated the funds to finance a lavish lifestyle, including overseas travel for his wife to give birth, purchasing luxury cars, and acquiring properties. He alleged that Ogunbanjo’s salary was below N200,000, yet he lived far above his means.

“At Panti (Police Station), Ogunbanjo confessed there was no legitimate business and admitted to forging all the LPOs. He collected N1.89 billion in total, some of which he used to build properties and buy cars. His wife and mother-in-law were signatories to his companies’ accounts,” Balogun said.

He added that Ogunbanjo partially refunded some money after selling a few properties, but significant funds and assets remain unrecovered. During cross-examination by defence counsel Ms M.A. Abia-Bassey, Balogun confirmed that Ogunbanjo diverted funds meant for purported contracts into personal accounts, which funded his luxury lifestyle.

The trial, which began in June 2024, has faced delays, including the recent death of Ogunbanjo’s former counsel, Mr T.E. Okeke. Ms Abia-Bassey recently sought an adjournment to familiarise herself with the case and address Ogunbanjo’s reported health issues. Justice Ijelu adjourned further hearing on the case to February 11, 2025.