Shina Abubakar – Osogbo

Justice Peter Lifu of a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun state, has sentenced one Oladipupo Akande, 27, to three years imprisonment for duping his customers the sumof N9,697,500.

The convict was first arraigned on January 15, 2020, on eleven counts bordering on fraud to which he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Francis Osei, told the court that the convict collected N4,075,000 from one Bolarinwa Akinlolu and N1,250,000 from one Sulaiman Lawal with a pretense to supply them bags of rice and failed to do so.

He added that the convict also collected N420,000 from one Adegbite Adewale with a pretense of purchasing a mini-bus for him.

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According to Osei, the convict collected another N1,010,000 from Adegbite Adewale, N1,820,000 from Afolarin Femi and N1,122,500 from one Abduraheem Shakirat, on the pretense to supply them bags of rice.

He was said to have committed the crime between November and December 2016 at Osogbo.

During the trial, some of the complainants testified before court and insisted they gave him money in confidence without getting receipt.

The convict, who defended himself during the trial, admitted that he owed the complainants some bags of rice but not the amount they (complainant) claimed.

Justice Lifu in his ruling found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to three years imprisonment with hard labour counting from January 30, 2020.

The court also ordered that the convict should restitute the money to the complainants in line with the provision of sections 311 and 401 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA 2015.

Vanguard News Nigeria