A 34-year-old man, Adeola Ogunmolu, who claimed to be an employee of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), has admitted to a fraud charge involving a prepaid meter scam. Ogunmolu appeared before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining money under false pretenses and theft.
The prosecutor, Inspector Sunday Bassey, presented details of the case, explaining that Ogunmolu deceived two individuals by promising to provide prepaid meters for their homes in exchange for money.
In March, Ogunmolu approached the first complainant, Babatunde Ogunsemowo, and collected N100,000 on the promise of delivering a prepaid meter to his apartment on Ogunsanya Street in the Ifako area of Gbagada.
Instead of delivering a functional meter, Ogunmolu handed over a faulty one. After that, he requested an additional N40,000 from Ogunsemowo, claiming the money was needed to generate a prepaid meter code. However, Ogunmolu failed to deliver on his promise.
Similarly, on July 6 and July 8, the defendant approached another complainant, Mrs. Charity Arinze, at Oladipupo Close. Ogunmolu persuaded her to pay N198,000 under the same pretext of supplying a prepaid meter. He also failed to deliver the meter and instead used the money for his personal benefit.
The prosecutor emphasized that the defendant’s actions violated Sections 287 and 314 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015. Magistrate O.A. Daodu ordered that Ogunmolu be remanded in custody and scheduled the next court session for September 5, where the facts of the case will be reviewed and sentencing will be considered.
