By Odun Edwar and Timothy Agbor

Mother, son bag 8 years for stealing cigarettes, others in Osun

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, yesterday slammed 28 years imprisonment on Alfa Jamiu Isiaka, a self-styled Alfa in Ilorin for offences bordering on fraud and obtaining by false pretence, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
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The prison term is to be observed at Mandala Correctional Centre, Ilorin.

Justice Abdulgafar, while delivering judgment, held that the prosecution had tendered enough evidence to convince the court that the self-acclaimed Alfa Jamiu was guilty of the allegations brought against him by the anti-graft agency.

The convict presented himself as the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina and a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, to defraud a South Korean National, Keun Sig Kim to the tune of N30 million.

The 33-year-old, while parading as a senior government official, deceived the foreign national to collect various sums of money under the pretext of securing for him an NNPC approval/ marketing form and license certificate to buy crude oil in Nigeria.

Also, a 40-year-old woman, Bolaji Elesho and her son, Bidemi, 24,  have been sentenced to four years imprisonment each by an Osogbo Magistrate’s court for stealing packets of cigarettes and some other items.

Delivering judgment yesterday, Magistrate Abiona Adebayo, convicted the duo for breaking into a shop and carting away six packets of cigarettes, milk, toothpaste and other things.
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The duo had pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of conspiracy, theft and burglary preferred against them by the Police.

The Prosecutor, Inspector Rasak Olayiwola, had informed the court that the convicts committed the offence on September 27, 2021, around 4:30 a.m, between Araromi Community, Owode Ilesa road and Oja-Oba area in Osogbo.

Olayiwola said Bidemi broke into the shop of one Nafisat Adeyeye and carted away from some cigarettes and other items before he was apprehended together with his mother. The mother was accused of receiving the stolen items from his son.
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The convicts had no legal representatives when their case was called.

However, Magistrate Adebayo sentenced Bidemi to four years imprisonment with an option of a fine of N100,000.

Also, Bidemi’s mother was sentenced to four years imprisonment with an N15,000 fine option.

Recall that the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), had on, June 14, 2019, arraigned Alfa Jamiu on four counts charge, to which he pleaded not guilty.
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In the course of interrogation, Alfa Jamiu claimed that he used the money to conduct sacrifice for the petitioner.

According to him, part of the money was used to buy vulture, elephant skin, elephant intestine, the skull of a lion and liver of gorilla used as ingredients in the sacrifice.

In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar found Jamiu guilty of the charges and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on each count, which is to run concurrently.
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In addition, the judge ordered the forfeiture of some properties recovered from the convict, which are proceeds of his unlawful activities.

They are a four bed-room bungalow located at Oke-Foma in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, a Toyota Corolla car, One Plasma Television, home theatre, Freezer, generator, washing machine and LG air conditioner to the Federal Government.

The court also ordered restitution to the victim of the crime.