Crime & Punishment
Fake Twin Birth: Police Arraign Bella Gbogbolowo for Defrauding Traditional Ruler of N6.3m
Funke Olaode
Police have arraigned a socialite, Ajisola Oluwatobi, aka ‘Bella Gbogbolowo’ a TikTok influencer, before the Ogba Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, on alleged charges of fraud, faking the birth of twins, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace.
The defendant was arraigned on three counts of charges before Magistrate Lateef Owolabi.
According to a source who was privy to the matter, the relationship turned sour. The relationship between the traditional ruler, Emmanuel Olofinjana and the socialite, Bella Gbogbolowo, began in early 2023 when the duo met at a social gathering. It was a casual and short-time relationship. Attracted to the traditional ruler, the socialite started a relationship. After some time, the socialite told her lover that she was pregnant. Excited by this news, King Olofinjana rented an apartment for her and placed her on a monthly stipend for ante-natal and personal care to the tune of N6.3 million.
While this was going on, the love-struck ruler travelled abroad.
When the ‘delivery’ approached, she announced to his lover that she would soon be delivered of twins. She demanded money for the baby shower and delivery. Still basking in the euphoria of adding two beautiful offspring to his brooks, the Lover King yielded to her demand.
Upon returning to Nigeria for the naming ceremony, the love-struck ruler discovered that there was no pregnancy at the initial stage and that the alleged twins were fake.
Infuriated by her deceit, he instituted a case against the socialite, demanding a refund of his money spent on the alleged fake relationship/ babies.
At the arraignment, Inspector Oluwasegun Dada announced his appearance as the prosecutor. Barrister Ademola Adefolaju appeared for the nominal complainant, while Barrister Emmanuel Apasobi represented the defendant.
While arraigning the defendant, Inspector Dada, the prosecutor told the court that she committed the offences between August 2023 and July 2024.
He further told the court that the defendant committed the offences at her residence located at 17 Kayode Oduba Drive, Thomas Estate, Ajah, Lagos.
Precisely, the prosecutor informed the court that the defendant defrauded the nominal complainant, Emmanuel Olofinjana, who is a traditional ruler of the sum of N6.3m on the pretext of giving birth to twins for him.
The defendant’s illegal acts, according to the prosecutor, contravened sections 168(f), 314(1)(2) and 323(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In view of the plea, the defendant’s lawyer, Apasobi, pleaded with the court to grant her bail in the most liberal terms.
“That you, Ajisola Oluwatobi ‘f, in the month of August 2023 to July 2024 at No. 17, Kayode Oduba Drive, Thomas Estate, Ajah, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did defraud one Olofinjana Emmanuel ‘m’ of the sum of N6,300,000.00 (Six Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 314(1)(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
“That you, Ajisola Oluwatobi ‘f, on the same date, time and place in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did trick one Olofinjana Emmanuel ‘m’ of the sum of N6,300,000.00 (Six Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 323(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
“That you, Ajisola Oluwatobi ‘f, on the 9th day of July 2024, at the above-mentioned address, in the aforesaid Magisterial District, did conduct yourself in a manner likely to cause the breach of peace by deceiving one Olofinjana Emmanuel ‘m’ by telling him that you have given birth to twins for him, knowing fully well it is false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 168(f) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015,” said the charge sheet.
In his ruling, the magistrate admitted bail of N400,000 to the defendant with two sureties in like sum. The magistrate ordered that one of the sureties must be a family member while the other a civil servant. The two sureties must provide evidence of tax payments to the Lagos government and verified addresses.
The matter has been adjourned until July 29 for trial.
Lagos Attorney General’s Withdrawal of Criminal Trial of Owonla Perversion of Justice: Petitioner
Funke Olaode
A businessman and hotelier, Otunba Hassan Alli, has reaffirmed that the discontinuance of the criminal case against the alleged notorious land grabber Moroof Owonla by Lawal Pedro (SAN), Lagos’ Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, is in total disregard to the interest of justice and the rule of law.
He also said Pedro’s actions showed gross bias, injustice, and danger to the Administration of Criminal Law of Lagos State and against the public interest.
According to a statement by the aggrieved businessman, in response to the attorney general’s publications on the subject matter, Alli noted that the attorney general’s action was aimed at promoting abuse of the legal process.
The police recommended Owonla for prosecution after diligent investigation and duplicating the case file with the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) under the tenure of former Attorney General Moyosore Onigbanjo.
The development led to the DPP issuing legal advice and filing eight-count charges against Moroof Owonla after verifying the facts in the case file.
However, Owonla, in defiance of the lawful court, refused several court appearances ordered by Justice Adenike Coker of the Ikeja Division of the High Court, a move that prompted the judge to issue a bench warrant against him.
In a twist of trial, Pedro became the attorney general and filed a discountenance of the case in exercising his prosecutorial power of nolle prosequi.
Expressing his dissatisfaction, Alli noted that the action is in a clear departure from the provisions of section 211(3) of the 1999 (amended) Constitution, which empowers the attorney general to exercise nolle prosequi.
He pointed out that under Section 211(3), it was stated clearly that in exercising his power, the attorney general “shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of Justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.”
The businessman refers the attorney general to the case file where the police, who investigated the criminal allegations, revealed that the court order in suit no ID/1722/92 relied on by Owonla to loot his 33 Rooms Hotel in Ayobo area is fake following the response letter from the Office of the Chief Registrar of the Lagos High Court.
He emphasised that it was fallacious, untrue, and a distortion of material facts by the attorney general to conclude coherently that the IP0 of the case was petitioned for bias investigation in Alagbon when investigation on the case was concluded at the Police Headquarters of FCID, Abuja.
Alli stated that it was crystal clear from the content of the discountenance letter that the attorney general was out on a mission of deliberate bias and injustice against the legal process, stressing that his actions are contrary to the public interest, thereby raising empty and non-existent defences for the criminal actions perpetrated by Owonla and his thugs against him.
Breach of Trust: Court Awards N75m against Sterling Bank
Wale Igbintade
The Lagos High Court has awarded N75 million damages against Sterling Bank over breach of the non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreement it had with Comfort Stevens Nigeria Limited and its Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Nwankwo.
Justice Olumuyiwa Martins, in her judgment, said N50 million is for damages, while N25 million serves as the cost of the action by the claimants.
The claimants are Comfort Stevens Nigeria Limited and Dr Nwankwo.
The court held that the defendant’s conduct in circumventing the confidentiality deed dated September 16, 2019, and the non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreement dated October 3, 2019, by engaging in the same project it had with the claimants with a third party without the consent and full disclosure to the claimants, is wrongful and unlawful, resulting in a material violation of the agreement’s terms and conditions.
The court stated, “The breach of the Confidentiality Deed dated September 16, 2019, and the Non-Disclosure and Non-Circumvention agreement dated October 3, 2019, is deemed unlawful and unjustifiable.
“An order of perpetual injunction is granted in favour of the claimants to prevent the defendant, its personnel, and agents from directly or indirectly committing or engaging in any act prohibited by the terms and Conditions of the Non-Disclosure and Non-Circumvention agreement dated October 3, 2019.
“The sum of N50 million is awarded as damages for breach of the Non-Disclosure and Non-Circumvention Agreement dated October 3, 2019, in favour of the claimants. The sum of N25 million is awarded as the costs of this action in favour of the claimants. This is the judgment of the court.”
The claimants had sought to embark on a N10.5 billion footwear and shoe component technology and automated project in Aba, which the Bank indicated interest in financing if the firm agrees to reduce the amount to N4.5 billion or N4 billion.
The claimants consented, reduced the project amount to N4.5 billion and executed a non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreement with the bank to protect their trade secret from being shared with third parties.
However, the bank breached the agreement and entered into discussions on shoe deals with Abia (before Governor Alex Otti) and Kano governments without the claimant’s knowledge.
Unhappy with the development on discovering it, the claimants in 2020 initiated the suit marked LD/ADR/3317/2020, contending that the defendant’s decision to initiate negotiations with a third party to manufacture footwear and tanneries without full disclosure to the claimants, constitutes a breach of the agreements.
After disclosing their trade secrets, they argued that the defendant acted in bad faith by taking advantage of the information received and negotiating and agreeing with a third party on the same product with Abia and tanneries with the Kano government.
After listening to the parties, Justice Martins, on July 2, 2024, while delivering her judgment, noted that the defendant did not deny executing the agreement.
“Considering the overwhelming evidence of the claimants, the court finds that DW1 is economical with the truth of the circumstances surrounding the transaction. The court finds her to be a witness of untruth, her evidence to be unconvincing, and a mere afterthought. Therefore, this issue is resolved in the claimants’ favour,” Justice Martins declared before she awarded the damages against the bank.
