Six alleged Internal Revenue Service fraudsters in Ekiti State were charged by the Department of State Services, DSS, before an Ado-Ekiti magistrate court on Wednesday.
Following an alleged fraudulent representation of the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, in the state, the Federal Republic of Nigeria filed a lawsuit against Olarewaju Adesoye, Mayowa Nelson Ajisafe, Matthew Ilesanmi Olarenwaju, Olorunfemi Osho, Joseph Sunday Balogun, and Ajayi Temidayo.
The judge read aloud the lawsuit, noting the six counts of alleged false pretense, impersonation, possession of fraudulent documents, use of fake documents, and counterfeit seals.
Attorney Timi Omotoso for the defendants, who entered a not guilty plea, affirmed the accusations against them and begged Chief Magistrate Saka Afunso to give them bail.
Magistrate Saka Afunso’s decision saw the defendants given N500,000 apiece on bail along with the requirement for sureties.
The magistrate mandated that all sureties be Ado-Ekiti residents with a respectable source of income. In addition, he threatened to hold them accountable in the event that the accused escaped.
After upon, the case was postponed to Friday, January 26, 2024.