A lodger, Joy Chiaka, on Tuesday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly failing to settle her hotel bills, totaling N151,000.
Chiaka, 40, whose occupation and address were not provided, is being tried for fraud and dishonest use of property.
The Prosecutor, Inspector George Nwosu, told court that the accused committed the offences on October 12 at Kofoworola Street, Ikeja Lagos.
He said that the accused lodged in a hotel for 15 days and was provided meals for the period without paying the accumulated bill of N151, 000.
Nwosu said: “The accused came with her son to lodge at Destiny Hotel and fed for 15 days but refused to pay.”
Nwosu said that when the accused checked into the hotel, all effort to pay through the hotel POS machine was unsuccessful.
He said: “When the accused came in, she tried to make payment through the hotel’s POS machine that night but the transaction was not successful, the management thought it was network problem.
“The accused promised to pay the money the following day and the hotel accommodated her with her son.
“But unfortunately, the accused did not make payment either through the POS or ATM, she kept giving assurances of payment until she spent 15 days.
“When the management of the hotel insisted that the accused must pay her bills on the 15th day, she told them that she did not have money.”
The offences allegedly committed by Chiaka contravened Sections 278 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Eagle online News reports that Section 312 stipulates a 15-year imprisonment for offenders, if found liable.
The accused pleaded not guilty of the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The Magistrate, A.A. Adesanya, adjourned the case till November 11 for mention.
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