Man Jailed 21 Years For Defrauding US-Based Women Of N40m

Man Jailed 21 Years For Defrauding US-Based Women Of N40m

Justice Mojisola Dada of a Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced one Adesanya Olufemi Paul, to 21 years Imprisonment over about N41 million fraud.

Justice Mojisola sentenced and convicted Adesanya after pronouncing him guilty of charges conspiracy; obtaining by false pretence and stealing made against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Friday.

The EFCC had charged the convict before Court on the three counts charge which are contrary to and punishable under sections 1(1) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act and 278 and 285 of criminal law of Lagos State 

According to the EFCC, the convict had defrauded an America-based Nigerian businesswoman, Mrs Oluwatoyin Akinwole of the sum of about N40 million. 

During the convict’s trial, the EFCC through his counsel, Mr. Samuel Daji, called five witnesses and tender several documents, which was admitted as exhibit to prove the allegations against the convict.

The EFCC had told the court that its investigation revealed that the Convict and the complainant were not lovers as it was widely claimed, when the fraud victim attempted suicide on the 3rd Mainland bridge after she was duped.

It was learnt that trouble started when the fraud victim, Mrs. Toyin Akinwole, started experiencing unusual traits and when she arrested her lover who allegedly robbed her over the said sum.

“She’s US based, married with three kids. She lives in Texas. Her husband is Tunde who works or used to work with a new generation bank in Lagos. 

She got involved with another guy in Nigeria and they both got involved in series of adulterous activities.

“Her lover, an older guy as well swindled or collected over N10m from her. She went to arrest him only for him to publish nude pictures of them together in order to prove his innocence to the police that whatever happened between both of them was consensual, that he’s not a fraudster as claimed by the married woman.

“The blackmail from the man got to her husband and this compelled the husband to conduct a DNA test on all the three children which later turned out that they are not all his kids after all.

On Saturday, 9th of June, 2018, the woman drove herself to the bridge, parked her Ford SUV van on the 3rd Mainland Bridge and jumped inside the lagoon on a mission which was a resultant effect of the blackmail”.

However, a week after said attempted suicide, Linda Ikeji’s Blog (LIB) reported that the woman whose pictures were circulated on social media since the alleged Sunday suicide move, has made clear that she did not jump into the lagoon as it had been believed.

According to the blogger, Mrs Toyin made the revelation via her Instagram handle with the caption; “Am alive, and I will live long on earth,” she had mentioned in a comment.

In her judgement, Justice Dada stated that “the court is satisfy that the prosecution has proven his case beyond reasonable doubt.

“I hereby sentence the convict to 14 years on count one and two, from the date he was arraigned. This to run concurrently 

“On count three for stealing, the convict is hereby sentenced to seven years in prison”. 

After the judgement, EFCC Counsel, Samuel Daji, thanked the court for a well considered judgement, pointing out that it will serve as a note of warning to others.