Court Jails Businessman 14 Years Over N24.3m Fraud  

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a businessman, Nasiru Ogara to 14 years’ imprisonment over his involvement in a N24.3 million waste bin and vehicle documents fraud.

Justice Dada jailed Ogara after she held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has proved the three of the four-count charge of obtaining money by false pretences and issuance of dud cheques filed against him

The judge held, in her judgment, that the prosecution has effectively proved the ingredients of the offences filed against the businessman and his company, New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd.

The court sentenced the convict to 14 years imprisonment on counts one and two, while he was jailed for two years on count three.

The judge, however, discharged the defendants on count four.

Justice Dada, who held that the sentences should run concurrently, also imposed a fine of N15 million on the convict’s company, for counts one to three.

The judge further directed that the company be wound up, its assets sold, and the proceeds used to pay the complainant.

The court also ordered the convict to pay the sum of N24.3 million as restitution to the complainant.

The EFCC had through one of its lawyers, Nwandu Ukoha, tell the court during trial that Ogara and the company committed the offences on December 17, 2017.

Ukoha had also alleged that the convict induced Usman Ademoye, Director of Kelly Newton Nigeria Limited, to confer a benefit on him by delivering 8,000 units of waste bins worth N5.2 million to him in the understanding that the waste bins would be paid for.

He claimed that the convict knew the representation to be false.

The anti-graft agency further informed the judge that the convict induced Ademoye, the complainant, to confer a benefit on himself by delivering copies of Kogi State Vehicle Consolidated documents worth N19.1 million to him in the understanding that the papers would be paid for.