Justice O. A. Okunuga of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Thursday, June 8, 2023, adjourned till June 28, 2023 “for hearing” in the alleged fraud trial involving one Sennaike Opeoluwa.
Opeoluwa, alongside his firm, Sennaike Consulting Limited, was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 9, 2023 on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and possession of false documents.
The defendants were arraigned for allegedly fraudulently obtaining the sums of $5 million and N800 million from unsuspecting members of the public.
Count one reads: “David Sennaike Opeoluwa and Sennaike Consulting Limited, sometime between the months of January 2021 and March 2022, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, deceitfully obtained an aggregate sum of $5,000,000 (Five Million US Dollars) from unsuspecting members of the public, on the understanding that the payment was an investment for the protection and prevention of a developed Cyber-Security Software for onwards delivery to the United States of America.”
Count two reads: “David Sennaike Opeoluwa and Sennaike Consulting Limited, sometime between the months of January 2021 and August 2022 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, deceitfully obtained an aggregate sum of N800,000,000 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) from Mr. Olugbenga Ojo, Benson Ogungbamiwa, and several unsuspecting members of the public, on the understanding that the payment was an investment for the protection and prevention of a developed Cyber-Security Software for onwards delivery to the United States of America.”
Count reads: ” David Sennaike Opeoluwa and Sennaike Consulting Limited, on or about the 6th day of October 2022 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, with dishonest intention, forged documents printed from your laptop titled “Executive Office Of The President Of The United States”, dated November 22, 2021, and other related documents containing fraudulent conversation allegedly made between Kamala Harris, representative of the Government of the United States of America and Olugbemiga Ojo, President and CEO of Langberg Inc., in order to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts.
During the sitting on May 31, 2023, his counsel, Akeem Akinroye, had moved the application for his bail and also prayed the court to express its discretion in favour of Opeoluwa.
“The defendant does not constitute a flight risk and he won’t abscond,” he said.
The prosecution, however, urged the court to dismiss the application and order accelerated hearing.
Ruling on the application on June 8, after going through all the arguments canvassed by the parties, Justice Okunuga granted bail to the defendant in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties must be gainfully employed and show evidence of tax payment in the last three years.
The defendant was also ordered to deposit his passport with the Chief Registrar of the court.
The case was adjourned till June 28, 2023 “for hearing.”