Kwara businessman arraigned for defrauding job seekers

Thursday, May 14, 2026 - A 45-year-old businessman, Kazeem Akinwunmi Bolaji, was on Wednesday arraigned on an 11-count charge bordering on alleged employment scam and retention of proceeds of unlawful activities before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.  

According to the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the defendant allegedly collected various sums of money from unsuspecting victims under the guise of securing employment for them with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

In one instance, he allegedly obtained N130,026.88 from twin brothers, Taiwo and Kehinde Abe, with a promise to secure jobs for them in the NSCDC.

In another case, he was said to have received N45,000 from one Olarewaju Akande under the pretext of helping him secure employment with the Nigeria Customs Service.

Investigations further revealed that the defendant, who allegedly posed at different times as an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service, falsely claiming access to employment slots for interested applicants had benefited up to N22.5million from the unlawful activities.

Count five of the charge sheet read; “That you, Kazeem Akinwunmi Bolaji, sometime in November, 2025, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did obtain the sum of N130,026.88 from one Akande Shina, which was paid to you through Bunmi Mosunmola Ajayi’s account number 7086075242 domiciled with Opay Digital Limited, under the false pretence that you would help Taiwo Abe and Kehinde Abe secure employment with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which pretence you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.

Following his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant in custody pending trial.

Justice Abdulgafar, thereafter adjourned the matter till June 24, 2026, for commencement of trial and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Centre.