Alleged cyber fraud: Naira Marley gets N2m bail

On Tursday, the Federal High Court in Lagos  granted bail in the sum of N2m to up-and-coming musician, Azeez Fashola, alias Naira Marley, who was arraigned on cyber fraud charges.

Justice Nelson Oweibo granted the bail to the defendant with two sureties in like sum.

The judge said one of the sureties must be a civil servant not below Grade Level 10, while the other must own a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.

He adjourned the case till October 22, 2019, for the commencement of trial.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had last Monday arraigned the artiste on 11 counts bordering on credit card fraud.

The anti-graft agency told the court that Naira Marley conspired with Yad Isril and Raze, said to be at large, to use access cards with numbers 5264711020433662 and 42658840359191132 “issued to persons other than you in a bid to obtain gain.”

It also alleged that Naira Marley was on May 10, 2019, found in “possession of two counterfeit access cards Nos. 4539782440624281 and 492189410257431 issued in the names of Nicole Louise Malyon and Timea Fedorne Tatar, respectively.”

The agency said the artiste retained the two cards and another one with number 5264711020433662 issued to an unknown person “under circumstances, which constitute card theft.”

The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that Naira Marley acted contrary to Section 27 (1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.

He said the musician was liable to be punished under sections 33(9) and 34 of the same Act.

But Naira Marley pleaded not guilty to the charges.”