A 38-year-old businessman, David Benjamin, was on Tuesday arraigned in a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court over alleged N1.5 million fraud.
Benjamin, whose address was not provided, is being tried for fraud and stealing.
The prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo, said that the defendant committed the offences on Feb. 12, at Barnawa Kaduna.
Leo said that the defendant unlawfully obtained the sum of N1.5 million from one Mr Chris Gabriel, on the pretext of supplying aluminum and iron scraps.
The prosecutor, however, said that after the defendant collected the money from the complainant, he disappeared.
“The defendant after receiving the alert, absconded to an unknown destination.
“Efforts made by the complainant to trace and retrieve his money proved unsuccessful until the defendant was arrested after five months,” the prosecutor said.
He said the offences contravened Sections 287 and 59 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.
The defendant pleaded not guilty of the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Kaduna State Government.
He adjourned the case until Aug. 30, for mention.