Principal Flees With N1.2m WASSCE Fees

A 42-year-old principal, Michael Diekola, was yesterday docked at an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding his school of N1.2 million. The accused, who lives at 8, Alirat Badejo Street, Oke Odo, Abule Egba, a suburb of Lagos, is being tried for fraud and stealing.

The prosecutor, Inspector Clifford Ogu, told the court that the offences were committed sometime in July 2014 at a private school, Queen Diana College, Oke Odo, Abule Egba. Ogu, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the accused collected N1.2 million from students under the pretext of enrolling them for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE). He said: “The accused bolted with the money and all efforts to locate him were unsuccessful until he was sighted by one of the teachers and was immediately apprehended.”

The offences violated Sections 285 (1) and 312 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The accused denied the charge. In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Taiwo Akanni, granted the principal bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum. She ordered the accused to pay N250, 000 into the court’s Chief Registrar’s account as part of the bail conditions. Akanni adjourned the case till June 6 for mention.

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