Nigerian held over fraud says he used money to solve family issues

A 35-year-old Nigerian who allegedly collected GHC30, 000 from a businessman under the pretext of supplying him with scrap but failed has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Ozoemena Agbowodike, a scrap dealer told the Police that he had sent the money to his brother in Nigeria to be used in solving his pressing family issues.
Charged with defrauding by pretenses, Agbowodike has pleaded not guilty.

The court presided over by Mrs. Patricia Amponsah admitted the accused to bail in the sum of GHC20, 000 with two sureties.

The court further ordered the prosecution to file witness statements.
The matter has been adjourned to January 20 next year for Case Management Conference.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector, John Gohoho, said the complainant Ebere Chukwu Chibueze resides at Odorkor and the accused also resides in the same vicinity.
The prosecution said somewhere in November this year, the accused approached the complainant and introduced himself as a scrap dealer and that doing scrap business in Ghana was a lucrative venture.

Based on that, the complainant and the accused became friends.
The prosecution said the accused told the complainant that since he arrived in Ghana from Nigeria, he had seen a massive improvement in his life and he wished the complainant would also transact the scrap business to enrich himself.
The prosecution said the accused promised to supply the complainant with a quantity of scrap.

A few days later Agbowedike collected GHC30,000 from the complainant to supply him with the scraps.
Accused after collecting the money failed to honour his promise and went into hiding.

On December 15, this year, the accused was arrested from his hideout by the complainant and handed over to the police.

The prosecution said the accused in his investigation caution statement admitted the offence and told the Police that he sent the money he collected from the complainant to his brother in Nigeria to be used to solve his pressing family problem.