Three Men Arrested For Cloning Governor Aregbesola’s Phone Number

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Three Men Arrested For Cloning Governor Aregbesola’s Phone Number

The police have arraigned three persons for allegedly cloning the telephone number of Governor Rauf Aregbesola and for attempting to defraud the Osun State Government of N18m with the telephone.

Two of the suspects, Oladele Anthony Olutoye and Adeniran Adetayo Esho, who were arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Services were arraigned last week before Magistrate Fatimoh Sodemade.

The magistrate ordered that the duo should be remanded in prison custody.

The third accused person, Timi Gbenro, was also arrested by the operatives of the DSS and he was arraigned before Magistrate Olusola Aluko in Osogbo on Tuesday.

The prosecutor told the court that Gbenro and two others earlier arraigned conspired and cloned the telephone number of the governor.

He told the court that the suspects fraudulently through a text message requested the Accountant-General of the state to forward N18m into their account.

The prosecution said the accused persons through their action committed offences contrary to and punishable under Sections 484, 422 and 419 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume II, laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.

Gbenro, who was not represented by any counsel, pleaded not guilty to the three counts preferred against him just like the two accused persons earlier arraigned.

The charge sheet read, “That you (accused persons) on February 17, 2016 did commit an offence to wit: impersonation, by cloning the Executive Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola’s phone number 08024537105 to send a text message to the Accountant-General of Osun State requesting him to transfer the sum of N18m to your account number 001785491 and sort code 215333358 with Unity Bank.”

The magistrate ordered that the defendant be remanded in Ilesa Prison custody. He ordered the defendant to make a formal application for his bail and adjourned the case till June 6, 2016 for mention