Crime

N266m fraud: Fake army general who forged president Buhari’s signature bags 7-year jail term

Published

2 years ago

July 8, 2022 7:27 am

BodexNG

A special offences court in Ikeja has sentenced one Bolarinwa Abiodun to seven years imprisonment over false pretence, forgery and fraud.

Abiodun was arrested by operatives of the Lagos command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged impersonation as an army general.

Abiodun was arraigned on April 11 before Oluwatoyin Taiwo, a judge, on a 13-count charge bordering on “obtaining money by false pretence, forgery of documents and possession of documents containing false pretence to the tune of N266,500,000″.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution, through its team of lawyers — Rotimi Oyedepo, A.O. Muhammed, S.I. Suleiman and E.K. Uduak — presented six witnesses and tendered documentary evidence to prove the case.

After the EFCC closed its case on June 20, 2022, the court ordered Abiodun to open his defence.

However, at the court session on Thursday, Otunba Ogunleye, defence counsel, informed the court that his client had decided to change his plea “rather than going through the rigours of defence”.

With no objection from the prosecution, the 13 counts were read afresh to the defendant.

“I’m guilty,” he said to all the counts.

Following his guilty plea, Oyedepo gave a review of the facts, urging the court to rely on the evidence of the six witnesses presented by the prosecution and the various documents tendered through them as exhibits A to W.

“We seek to rely on the unequivocal admission of the defendant by way of his plea admitting the essential ingredients of the offence against him,” he said.

“The law is trite. When the defendant pleads guilty to an offence, the burden on the prosecution is as light as feather.

“Even on the strength of his extra-judicial statement, it’s clear as crystal that the defendant admitted to the essential ingredients of the offences alleged against him.

“We seek your lordship’s order to convict the defendant as charged.”

Delivering judgment, Oluwatoyin Taiwo, the presiding judge, convicted the defendant.

The defence counsel prayed for “a very minimal sentence”, adding that the defendant was remorseful as “demonstrated by his willingness to change his plea and not to further waste the judicial time in this case”.

“He has a wife and several children as well as numerous extended family members under his care to whom he is the breadwinner,” the lawyer added.

Responding, Oyedepo said although the defendant has no record of previous conviction, the court should impose a sentence to serve as deterrent to others who may want to engage in similar crime.

He further urged the court to order the forfeiture of four vehicles recovered from him — a black Range Rover Sport, a black BMW, a black Toyota Landcruiser, and a white Toyota Hilux — and a property located at 1A, Joke Ayo Street, Riverside estate, Alagbado, Lagos, as part of restitution to the victim.

Oyedepo also urged the court to order the closure of the First Bank account used to perpetrate the fraud, in which the defendant changed his name from “Hassan Karim Ayinde” to “Bolarinwa Oluwasegun Abiodun” to perpetrate the fraud.

In sentencing the convict, the judge held that the jail term was to pass a message to fraudsters.

“The defendant went the length of involving a former president of this country, general Obasanjo, and forged documents allegedly signed by the current president of this country, President Muhammadu Buhari,” the judge said.

“It is so sad that people like the defendant have given our beloved country a bad image.

“It is obvious that the defendant appears to be a very intelligent man; more is the pity that he could not put his ingenuity to better use.

“In the light of the seriousness of this scam, and in order to send a clear message to all scammers, fraudsters and criminals, this court is prepared to protect the interest of Nigerians and the society at large.

“I, therefore, sentence the defendant to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.”

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the proprieties in order to help the victim recover his money.

The convict was also ordered to pay N20 million as restitution to the victim, while an order was also given for the closure of his First Bank account.

Crime

Thieves cart away cows meant for church harvest celebration

Published

2 days ago

November 24, 2024 9:59 am

BodexNG

Suspected thieves have carted away two cows from the premises of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Testimony Parish in the Egbeda area of Oyo state.

In a post published on its Facebook page, the church said the stolen cows, bought at N1.9 million, were meant for its annual adult harvest thanksgiving celebration.

The incident happened on November 11 as the church prepared for the celebration slated for November 17.

After days of searching for the missing cows, the church solicited for financial contributions to buy new cows for the harvest celebration.

“Dear Celestians and The General public, This 2 Huge Cows was stolen where it was Tied in The Church Premises at CCC Testimony parish Elerumoke Area, Egbeda, Iyana Ajia and its meant for slaughter for the 9th adult harvest thanksgiving of the church coming up this Sunday 17th November 2024,” the church wrote on Facebook.

“We hereby solicit for your prayer for quick recovery of this harvest thanksgiving sacrificial materials.

“Anybody with useful information on how to recover these cows or any means of assistance to make the harvest thanksgiving a beautiful one should contact the parish shepherd.”

Crime

NDLEA arrests businessman for smuggling cocaine through ingestion

Published

2 days ago

November 24, 2024 9:55 am

BodexNG

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the arrest of a businessman caught with a large quantity of cocaine.

Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed the arrest on Sunday via his X account, accompanied by a video displaying the seized contraband.

The businessman, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly ingested a substantial quantity of cocaine in an attempt to avoid detection.

Babafemi wrote, “Detty December: Before you swallow those drugs, please remember that the new @ndlea_nigeria has the capacity and capability to catch you.

“The businessman who excreted this amount of cocaine will not only spend Christmas behind bars but also risks a life sentence at the end of his trial. Beware!”

Crime

UK teenager risks 20 years in Dubai prison for sex with 17-year-old girl

Published

4 days ago

November 22, 2024 8:16 am

BodexNG

An 18-year-old British boy has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl in Dubai.

Detained in Dubai, a group of UAE legal experts, said the teenager was on holiday with his parents when he met the girl — who is now 18 — at the same hotel.

The teenagers who are both from London were said to have made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK.

The group, which campaigns to help people it says have suffered injustice in the UAE, said the young man was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK.

It was gathered that the woman subsequently contacted police in Dubai and he was arrested.

The boy however claimed he was unaware that the girl was younger than him when they met. The teenager also disclosed that he was in police custody for three days and was unable to contact his parents.

“We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told Detained in Dubai.

“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.

“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”

The teenager, it is understood, could face up to two decades in prison owing to Dubai’s strict laws regarding sex outside marriage.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of the campaign group, said Dubai recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists but “still hosts a strict Islamic legal system”.

“Sex outside marriage is legal for tourists but only if both parties are over 18. The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time,” Stirling said.

“Since his arrest, she has turned 18. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.

“Parents will be scared to take their older teenagers on vacation with them where they could end up losing their lives over behaviour that’s completely legal in their own countries.”

The teenager and his family have called on foreign secretary David Lammy, their local MP, to intervene in the case.

The teenager is no longer being held in a police cell but is unable to leave the country, with his family facing bills of £2,000 for Airbnb accommodation until his case is resolved.

Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others