Man sentenced to eight years for N62 million land fraud

An Ikeja Special Offences Court, on Wednesday, sentenced a man Abodurin Abozo to eight years imprisonment for defrauding a man of N62 million on the pretext of procuring him two plots of land.

Justice Ismail Ijelu held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) proved the two-count charge of obtaining by false pretences and stealing against Abozo.

Mr Ijelu held that the convict obtained the sum of N56 million from the complainant, one Samuel Segher, with the assurance of procuring two plots of land for him on Chevy Estate Ojomu in Lagos, a representation he knew to be false.

The court held that the convict assured the complainant that he was the owner of the land after the payment was made.

The court held that the complainant discovered that someone had built on the land when he wanted to take possession and all efforts to recover his money proved abortive.

Mr Ijelu, thereafter, sentenced the convict to seven years without option of fine on court one and one year jail term on count two.

The court further ordered the convict to restitute the sum of N62 million to the complainant.

EFCC had arraigned the convict on Oct. 15, 2023 but he pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge when it was read to him.

He was charged alongside his company, SGB &A Property Lines.

Following his not guilty plea, the EFCC counsel, Spiff Owede, commenced trial and called two witnesses while the defendant testified as a sole witness for defence.

The prosecution also tendered several documents including extrajudicial statements of the convict which the court admitted in evidence.

According to the prosecution, the offence violates Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences 2006 and Section 287 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.