Man sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for cheating

…Bureau De change Director also sentenced

Juliana Francis

 Mr Bolanle Adefemiwa has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for cheating Mr Dahiru Ibrahim deceiving and conning a total sum of N230, 000.00 from him.

 The convict’s journey to prison started sometime in March 2020, when he fraudulently cheated the petitioner by dishonestly deceiving him to collect a total sum of N230, 000.00 from him.

 Adefemiwa was convicted by Justice Muhammad Sa'idu Sifawa of the  Sokoto State High Court, sitting in Sokoto Yesterday. He convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, with an option of fine of N200,000.00.

 

The convict was arrested and arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

 

According to the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, Adefemiwa was arraigned on one-count charge of cheating contrary to Section 310 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 311 of the same law.

 

The charge read:  "That you Bolanle Adefemiwa and Segun Tinoulu, now at large, sometime in March, 2020, at Sokoto within the jurisdiction of the Sokoto State High Court,  did fraudulently cheat one Dahiru Ibrahim by dishonestly deceiving him to collect a total sum of N230,000.00, without his consent and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 310 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 and punishable under Section 311 of the same law.”

 

Upon arraignment, Adefemiwa pleaded guilty to the charge. In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, S.H. Sa'ad, prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant in line with Section 311 of the Penal Code Law.

However,  defence counsel, Shamsu A. Dauda, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, as his client was a first time offender who has become remorseful. He also told the court that the defendant has restituted the victim the sum of N230, 000.00, which he fraudulently collected from him.

 

Justice Sifawa, thereafter convicted and sentenced Adefemiwa to 10 years imprisonment with an option of N200,000.00 fine.

 

In another development, Justice Nasiru Saminu  of the Kano State High Court yesterday convicted and sentenced Salisu Alhassan, a bureau de change (BDC) operator to four years imprisonment for fraud. The convict was prosecuted on two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds.

 

One of the charges read: ''That you, Salisu Alhassan, being the director of Tankarawa Bureau De Change Limited, sometime in 2018 or thereabout at Kano State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did dishonestly convert to your personal use the sum of N7,140.000, property belonging to Bala Ahmad Hamisu and that the said sum will be used in investing in Forex, foreign exchange businesses, which representation you knew same to be false and thereby committed a criminal breach of trust, an offence contrary to Section 311(a) and punishable under Section 312 of Penal Code Law.”

 

Alhassan pleaded guilty to the charges, upon which prosecution counsel, Zarami Muhammad, reviewed the facts of the case and urged the court to convict him as charged. The defence counsel Chief I.C Ekpunobi, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy. Justice Saminu convicted and sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment on each count with N150,000 option of fine on each of the counts.

 

Besides the prison term, the convict is also to restitute the sum of N5,350,000 to his victim, failure of which he shall serve additional two years prison term.