Connect with us

Crime & Court

Land Racketeer Bags 7 Years Jail In Ibadan

Published

on

Justice Mohammed Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court has sentenced a land racketeer, Joseph Adebayo, to seven years in prison for defrauding one Ikemefune Sunny of N700,000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).

Adebayo was on Friday, pronounced guilty of a one-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan zonal office.

The charge reads: “That you Joseph Adebayo, on the 16th of October, 2017 or thereabout, in Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable court, fraudulently and with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of N700,000.00 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira) only from one Ikemefune Sunny on the pretence that the money is for a plot of land located at back of Christ High School, Odo-Ona Elewe, Area, Oluyole Local Government, Ibadan, which you purported to sell to him, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence”.

Adebayo’s ignoble journey to prison started with a petition submitted to the EFCC’s Ibadan office in which the petitioner alleged that sometimes in October, 2017 he purchased from him a plot of land located at the back of Christ High School, Odo-Ona Elewe area, Oluyole, Ibadan.

According to him, the land which was housing an uncompleted building was sold for the sum of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N700, 000.00).

ALSO READ  JUST IN: Oyo govt evacuates beggars to Akinyele resettlement centre

He further alleged that despite paying the complete fee as agreed, he was unable to take physical possession of the property as he was stopped by the original owner when he attempted to build a perimeter fence around the land.

He stated that since he was prevented from taking possession of the said land, he approached the accused person to either resolve the logjam or return his money.
Rather than refund the money, he added, the accused became elusive. The development prompted the petition.

After conducting its investigations, the EFCC charged Adebayo to court.

The accused pleaded not-guilty when the charge was read to him, and was granted bail pending the determination of the matter.

In the course the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ifeanyi Agwu, presented two witnesses, whereas, the accused only testified for himself.
At the court’s sitting on Friday, Justice Owolabi said he had analyzed the evidences before the court and found Adebayo guilty as charged.
He sentenced him to seven years in prison without an option of fine.

Comments

Crime & Court

Ex-Oyo PMS Boss, Auxiliary Paraded for Murder, Other Crimes

Published

on

By

 

Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Hamzat Adebola, on Thursday, paraded the former Chairman of the Park Management System, Lamidi Mukaila, commonly known as Auxiliary.

The arrest came following months of pursuit after the Department of State Services detained Auxiliary at his Olodo residence in Ibadan, the state capital, on the penultimate Tuesday.

Mukaila had been on the run since the police declared him wanted for his alleged involvement in a string of armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder cases.

Adebola, addressing the media while parading the suspect at the state police command, emphasised that Mukaila would face charges in court.

He stated, “Discreet intelligence-led search commenced for the sacked PMS chieftain with the help of technology, collaborative efforts with sister services and community policing, many locations were identified, traced and combed for months until his recent arrest in a concerted effort with our sister services.”

The Commissioner outlined the extensive list of exhibits recovered from Mukaila’s possession at his Diamond Hotel residence around Alakia-Isebo Egbeda under Egbeda Local Government Area.

The recovered items include one AK-47 Rifle, four AK-47 magazines, 84 live AK-47 Ammunitions, 19 pump-action rifles, one Barreta pistol, seven cut-to-size guns, one English-made Barrel Gun, 724 live cartridges, 25 cutlasses, Seven Jack knives, 33 mobile phones, one Samsung laptop, charms, one Mazda Bus, one Toyota Sienna, and a cash sum of N3,450,000.00.

ALSO READ  JUST IN: Oyo govt evacuates beggars to Akinyele resettlement centre

Continuing, the Police chief affirmed that Mukaila would be charged to court for the offenses committed.

He expressed gratitude to the public for providing credible information to help curb crime in the state.

Adebola also reiterated the commitment of the command to deal decisively with any criminally motivated individual or group aiming to regress the state into the historical dark ages of the “Wild West.”

Continue Reading

Crime & Court

Mother of 5 Convicted for Forging Late Abba Kyari’s Signature

Published

on

By

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has delivered its verdict in the case involving Mrs. Ramat Mba, a mother of five children, accused of forging the signature of the late Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Presiding over the case, Justice Ibrahim Mohammad deferred Mrs. Mba’s sentencing until Thursday, the 16th of May, 2024. However, he directed that she be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had initially arraigned Mrs. Mba in June 2022 on a 5-count charge including cheating, fraud, and forgery, contravening various sections of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 200 and the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.

During the trial, ICPC’s Prosecutor, Mr. Hamza Sani, presented evidence detailing how Mrs. Mba allegedly deceived job seekers by promising them employment with government agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA), and the ICPC.

Specifically, Mrs. Mba was accused of fraudulently inducing a job seeker to pay N700,000 into her private account under the guise of securing employment at the National Space Research and Development Agency.

Moreover, documentary evidence revealed that Mrs. Mba forged a letterhead from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President and Abba Kyari’s signature.

ALSO READ  Nigeria: NCDC Confirms Deadly Delta COVID-19 Variant

The forged letter, addressed to the Chairman of ICPC, requested the recruitment of three individuals by the Commission.

However, a correspondence from the late Chief of Staff distanced his office from authorising such a letter.

In his judgment, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad convicted Mrs. Mba on counts 1, 2, 3, and 5, related to cheating and forgery, while she was discharged on count 4, which pertains to felony.

Continue Reading

Crime & Court

EFCC nets 64 suspected internet fraudsters in Osun raid {Photos}

Published

on

 

Investigators of the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, made a significant breakthrough on Wednesday, as they apprehended sixty-four suspected internet fraudsters in Osun State.

The crackdown targeted Ede, Osun State, where the suspects were allegedly engaging in various fraudulent activities.

According to Dele Oyewale, the Head of Media & Publicity for the EFCC, the arrests followed actionable intelligence gathered by the agency.

Among the items seized during the operation were 18 exotic vehicles, 18 laptops, 112 mobile phones, three PlayStation games, five motorcycles, and a trove of incriminating documents.

These seizures underscore the scale and sophistication of the suspected cybercriminals’ operations.

The EFCC stated that the suspects will face legal proceedings once investigations are concluded.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Tweets by ‎@megaiconmagg

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required

MegaIcon Magazine Facebook Page

Advertisement

MEGAICON TV

Trending