Three persons were on Wednesday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly using the name of Afro-Juju icon, Sunday Adegeyi, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, to defraud people to the tune of N3.1 million.
The suspects are Lawrence Oyedokun, 27; Oyewumi Abiodun, 27; and a female, Rebecca Oyebode, 23.
Oyedokun and Oyebode live in Osun State while Abiodun is resident in Oyo State.
They pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy, impersonation, stealing and obtaining money under false pretences.
Police prosecutor, Clifford Ogu, told the court that the defendants committed the offence in March at Ikeja, Lagos.
Mr Ogu said the defendants created fake Instagram accounts of Sunny Ade to dupe people.
“The defendants opened an Instagram page with Sunny Ade’s name, advertising that KSA would want to assist interested people to travel on music tours to Europe, America and Asia.
“They also wrote on the Instagram page that those who were interested in the tour should pay from N50,000 to N100,000 depending on the area of interest.
”People began to pay money into the accounts the defendants provided and they were withdrawing the money daily and promising to contact the victims as at when due,” he said.
The prosecutor added that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 287, 314 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Magistrate J.A Adegun admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N300, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Adegun ordered that all the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years’ tax payment to Lagos State Government.
He adjourned the case until May 22 for mention.
