Court Adjourns N3.1m Fraud Trial of Fashola’s Impersonator

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of Federal High Court in Lagos has adjourned the trial of Mr. Malik Wakili to 25th of February. 2021.

Justice Aneke did not sit due to the demise of his colleague justice Ibrahim Watila who died on Monday after a brief illness.

Wakili was arraigned in December 2019 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC for allegedly impersonating the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), and defrauded him of N3,106, 216.

Wakili,  who was arraigned on a three-count charge was alleged to have committed the offence in March 2019.

The prosecution counsel Usman Buhari said that Wakili conspired with one Abdullahi Umar, said to be at large, “to fraudulently impersonate Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), with intent to gain monetary advantage for themselves.”

The anti-graft body said “the defendant converted the total sum of N3,106,216, being the value of the Air-Miles Skywards Account Number EK248739282 of Mr. Babatunde Fashola with the Emirate Airline and which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity, to wit: fraud.”

Buhari said Wakili acted contrary to sections 15(2)(a) and 27(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and was liable to be punished under sections 15(3) and 22(3)(a) of the same Act.

The defendant however pleaded not guilty to the charge.