An Ikeja High Court on Thursday granted a N500,000 bail to a middle-age man, Israel Ogundipe, who was accused of allegedly defrauding one Oladele Oni of more than N17 million.
Ogundipe, who claimed to be a prophet of the Celestial Church of Christ, is facing a six-count charge, including fraud and forgery.
In her ruling on the bail application, the presiding judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade, said the offence was bailable.
She said the prosecution had no clear evidence that the accused would jump bail and therefore ruled in his favour.
The prosecutor, Olabisi Ogungbesan had earlier objected to the bail application on the grounds that Ogundipe was unreliable and could jump bail.
The accused, according to the prosecutor had collected money from Oni under the pretext of assisting her to procure some landed property in Lagos.
The prosecutor told the court that the accused collected the money in five installments of N900, 000; N2.5 million; N8.5 million; N2.7 million and 12,000 pound sterling between 2002 and 2005.
She also alleged that the accused forged a Nigerian passport number A2799555.
According to her, the offences contravened sections 390 (9), 419 and 467 (1) (b) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C17, Vol. 2 , Laws of Lagos State 2003 .
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Akinlade therefore adjourned the trial to Nov. 30 for further hearing of evidence.
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