A 29-year old man, Chukwuemeka Obodozie who was involved in a marriage fraud and used it to obtain money by tricks from five women
has landed in more trouble after he absconded from court to face trial in Lagos.
The court has declared him wanted while his in-law, Jude Iheruo, who stood as surety for him at the Magistrate’s court sitting in Ejigbo, has been arrested and remanded in prison custody.
Iheruo was arrested and arraigned in court on Friday for failing to produce Obodozie in court as he had earlier promised and enter into N50,000 bond in the court before the suspect was released to him.
P.M.EXPRESS learnt that so far, five women have showed up and narrated on how Obodozie promised them marriage at almost the same time, obtained huge sums of money from them and dumped all of them when he was discovered to be a scammer and later disappeared.
One of the victims, (name withheld) reported the matter to the police.
Obodozie was arrested and charged before the court with fraud.
The ‘loverboy’ was granted bail but remanded in prison custody before Iheruo went to the court and stood as his surety. But he later jumped bail, thus when he repeatedly refused to appear in court, the court then ordered the arrest of Iheruo who had promised to produce Obodozie when required to face trial.
At the court on Friday, Iheruo told P.M.EXPRESS that since he is married to Obodzie’ sister, when he was arrested and charged to court, he felt obliged to stand as one of the sureties because he was his in-law.
He said when Obodozie was released from custody and the matter was adjourned severally for trial, he later traveled out of Lagos.
He lamented that whenever he called him on phone, he mostly shun his calls and whenever he picked, he will asked him to go and sort out himself as he was no longer ready to face any trial.
Iheruo was charged with an act of intentional showing disrespect to the court by failing to produce Obodozie in court after entering into a bond as fit and suitable person to stand as surety for the suspect.
He pleaded not guilty.
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs J.O.E. Adeyemi granted him bail and surety in like sum.
He was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.
