SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, (THEWILL) – Former football star and Gladiators presenter, John Fashanu, was locked up in a cell in Abuja with 200 other prisoners after being accused of a land scam.
According to The Mirror, Fashanu was arrested at his home on the Sun City Estate, in Abuja, and detained for two nights on suspicion of ‘criminal conspiracy’.
It revealed that police officers claimed that the former professional footballer was acting for a friend who was looking to buy some land and gave Fashanu £23,000 (N9.5m) to fix the deal.
According to Hyacinth Dagala, a police Deputy Inspector General, Fashanu was arrested on Monday, July 17 and released on Wednesday, July 19.
“John Fashanu was arrested on July 17 in connection with an allegation of criminal conspiracy and obtaining the sum of N9,550,000 under false pretence,” Dagala said.
“He was granted administrative bail on July 18 but because of his inability to produce the requisite surety on that day, he remained in detention until July 19 when he was released.”
However, Fashanu’s friend said it was a deal between two friends which went south saying Fashanu told him about two men who were able to help purchase ‘forgotten land’, but later discovered it was not for sale.
“The person who made the complaint has been a mutual friend for quite a number of years and we are more interested in keeping that relationship so we are making amends,” The Mirror quoted Fashanu’s friend.
“We hope to do that as soon as we can. It is quite a lot of money so we hope to do it as soon as we can. We want to have this resolved.”
54-year-old Fashanu is said to have denied wrongdoing but had agreed to pay the money back while police are on the hunt to find the two other men who are said to be involved in the deal.
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