Court orders landed property, tax clearance, and address verification for sureties.
A 36-year-old trader, Titus Ishaya, has been arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Akure, Ondo State, over allegations of defrauding his business partners of N10.12 million and threatening to kill them after they demanded a refund.
Ishaya, a resident of Kanfasha, is facing three counts of obtaining by false pretence, stealing, and criminal intimidation.
The prosecutor, Inspector Nelson Akintimehin, told the court that the defendant allegedly received N10,120,000 from Engineer Emmanuel Olamide Bakare and Alfred Monday in March 2026 for a business transaction but diverted the funds to personal use.
According to the prosecution, Ishaya also threatened the complainants through phone calls and text messages when they requested either the goods or a refund of their money.
The offences allegedly contravene Sections 383, 390(9), 434, and 323 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. I, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Following an application by the prosecution to enable the police present witnesses, the matter was adjourned. Defence counsel, Henry Orisamuyiti, subsequently applied for bail.
In her ruling, Magistrate Adedapo granted Ishaya bail in the sum of N2.5 million with two sureties in like sum. The court directed the sureties to provide evidence of landed property within Akure, valid National Identity Cards, and current tax clearance certificates.
The magistrate also ordered the police to verify the residential addresses of the sureties before the bail conditions can be perfected.