The defendants, who are
high-valued targets in Organized Cyber Syndicate Network, OCSN, were arrested
for their alleged involvement in various cyber-crimes and money laundering.
Two accomplices of Ismaila
Mustapha, a.k.a Mompha were arraigned today before Justice Muslim S. Hassan on
a 25 count charge of conspiracy and money laundering.
The men were Kayode Phillip
and Hamza Koudeih.
They were charged by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office for alleged
$7million, €80,000 and £1,000 internet fraud.
One of the count reads:
“That you, Kayode Phillip (a.k.a Voice of the King) and Hamza Koudeih (a.k.a.
HK) sometime in May, 2019 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court
conspired among yourselves to commit an offence to wit: conversion of the
aggregate sum of $7, 069, 000 (Seven Million, Sixty-Nine Thousand United States
Dollars), £1, 000, 000 (One Million Pounds) and €80,000 (Eighty Thousand Euro),
which sum you reasonably ought to have known form part of the proceeds of fraud
and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 18 (a), 15 (2)(d) of
the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 15(3)
of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded not
guilty to the charge preferred against them by the Commission.
In view of their pleas, the
prosecution counsel, Abass Mohammed, prayed the court for a trial date and
asked that the defendants be remanded in Correctional Service custody as the
detention facilities of the EFCC custody had been over-stretched.
Counsel to the first
defendant, Oladele Falana, however, informed the court that he had filed a bail
application on behalf of his client and served same on the prosecution today.
He, therefore, craved the
indulgence of the court for the earliest date possible to hear the application.
Counsel to the second
defendant, Abdullahi Mohammed, told the court that an application for bail had
been filed and served on the prosecution.
Mohammed further urged the
court to hear the application and grant the prayers therein, adding that “My
client has hinted that he prefers to go to the prison custody and that he will
not be opposing the applications of the prosecution.”
Though the prosecution
counsel, Mohammed, told the court that he had yet to receive a copy of the
second defendant’s application for bail, he conceded to the defendant being
remanded in prison custody.
Consequently, Justice
Hassan adjourned the matter to December 5, 2019 for bail hearing and ordered
that the defendants be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Service custody.
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