EFCC: Courts Sentence LG Boss to 31 Year, Fraudster to 20 Years in Jail
Former Council Chair Bags 31Years For N97m Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe zonal office, has secured the conviction of Samuel Bulus Adamu before Justice N. I . Afolabi of Federal High Court Gombe.
Adamu, a former Chairman of Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State, was arraigned on March 9, 2015 on a seven- count charge bordering on fraud, cheating and money laundering to the tune of N97, 640, 000.00k( Ninety-Seven Million, Six Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira only).
When the charges were read to him, he pleaded “not guilty” to them, thus prompting the EFCC to prosecute him for more than five years.
During the trial, prosecution counsels, A. M. Labaran and A. Y Muntaka called four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, in order to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In its judgment on Thursday, July 23, 2020, Justice Afolabi found Adamu guilty of all the seven- count charges.
He convicted and sentenced him to five years imprisonment on counts 1, 2 and 4 without an option of fine. On count 3, the court sentenced him to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine and on counts 5, 6 and 7, the court sentenced him to 3 years imprisonment each without an option of fine. The sentence is to commence from July 10, 2020, and run concurrently.
Justice Afolabi also ordered the convict to pay the sum of N31, 640, 000 ( Thirty One Million, Six Hundred and Forty Thousand Nair only) to the coffers of Shongom Local Govt through the registry of the court under the supervision of the EFCC.
Adamu’s journey to prison began when TICAN Engineering Enterprises petitioned the Gombe zonal office of the EFCC on May, 9, 2011, efcc on allegations bordering on fraud, cheating and money laundering to the tune of N97, 640, 000 by way of inflation of contracts for rural electrification of Keffi; Kwara; Gangamari; Daja; Gurwa; Gundale; Bebbulo, Kuka, and Damjigiri areas of Shongom Local Govt., from N66, 000, 000 which was initially approved by the Tender board of Gombe state to N97.6million.
The EFCC investigated the case and established that Adamu committed the offence, hence his prosecution and conviction.
Dele Oyewale,
Head, Media & Publicity
24/07/2020
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Fraudster Bags 20 Years For Defrauding A Taiwanese
A 30-year-old fraudster, Gabriel Adekola Oluokun, was on Thursday July 23, 2020, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State for defrauding a Taiwanese to the tune of $22,300 (Twenty-Two Thousand, Three Hundred United States Dollars).
The convict was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a six-count amended charge of obtaining money by false pretence for which he was found guilty and convicted.
Oluokun’s journey to prison started when the Commission received a petition from one Nduka Lucious in which he alleged that the convict collected the sum of $22,300 from him in three instalments on the agreement that he will supply 100 metric tonnes of sesame seed to one Victoria Xhung, a China-based Taiwanese businesswoman, whom the petitioner represents in Nigeria.
While the convict failed to deliver, he converted the sum to his personal use.
On conclusion of investigations, he was arraigned on April 6, 2018 on a six-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences to which he pleaded not guilty and was re-arraigned on June 15, 2020 on a six-count amended charge for the same offence, for which he was convicted on Thursday.
After reviewing the arguments of the prosecution team of Dr. Ben Ubi, Oluwatinuwe Daramola and Mabas Mabur and that of the defence team, Justice Abdumalik convicted the defendant on counts one to four of the charges, which contravene Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, sentencing him to five years on each of the four counts, which are to run concurrently and discharged and acquitted him on counts five and six.
Aside the prison term, the convict is to restitute his victim, the sum of $22,300, with the caveat that the jail term will be extended by additional two years if he fails to make the repayment.
He also forfeited his Toyota Corolla saloon car to the Federal government.
Dele Oyewale,
Head, Media & Publicity
24/07/2020
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