Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the immediate arrest of a 77-year-old alleged land speculator, Alimi Liadi Alarape, following his repeated failure to appear in court to answer to criminal charges preferred against him.
The judge issued a bench warrant against the septuagenarian on Tuesday, mandating security agencies to produce him for trial.
The order was given following an oral application by the prosecution counsel, Morufu Ajani Animashaun of the Legal/Prosecution Department of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID), Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos.
At the resumed hearing of the case, the defendant was conspicuously absent, prompting the prosecutor to inform the judge that he had received a message from the defence counsel, one Barrister Adio.
According to the prosecutor, the defence lawyer claimed he was unavailable due to a personal matter before Justice Harrison at the Lagos High Court.
Furthermore, the lawyer communicated that his client, the 77-year-old Alarape, was indisposed and could not attend the proceedings.
However, the prosecutor noted that since being admitted to bail, the defendant has consistently refused and failed to attend court for his trial.
Consequently, Animashaun prayed the court to issue a bench warrant against the defendant and also urged the court to order Alarape’s sureties to show cause why they should not forfeit their bail bonds.
Justice Aluko, after perusing the court records, observed a pattern of non-appearance by the defendant.
Dismissing the excuse of indisposition as insufficient without medical proof, the presiding judge held that the defendant had deliberately failed to attend court to face his trial.
As a result, the judge ordered the issuance of a bench warrant against Alarape.
Alarape was arraigned sometime in 2023 on charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
The charge sheet alleged that between 2011 and 2013, Alarape and others, currently at large, conspired to commit a felony.
They were also accused of fraudulently obtaining the sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) from one Mrs Mosebolatan Johnson.
The prosecution detailed that the money was collected under the pretext of selling two plots of land located at the Warewa Area in Ogun State to the victim, with the addition that the defendant knew this representation to be false at the time of the transaction.
The offences, according to the charge, are contrary to Section 8(a) and Section 1(1)(a) and (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and are punishable under Section 8(c) and Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Justice Aluko adjourned further hearing on the matter to March 17, 2026, pending the apprehension and production of the defendant in court.
