A Lagos Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced a former staff of the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, Nasiru Ogara, to 14-year imprisonment for engaging in N24.3million waste bin and vehicle documents fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada, while delivering the judgment, held that the prosecution effectively proved the ingredients of the offences filed against the retiree and his company, New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd.
Ogara and New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd. were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a four-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretences and issuance of dud cheques.
Dada found the defendants guilty on counts one, two and three, and sentenced Ogara to 14years in prison on counts one and two.
She sentenced the retiree to two years’ jail term on count three alone.
The judge, however, discharged the defendants on count four.
She held that the sentences should run concurrently.
The judge also imposed a fine of N15million on the retiree’s company, that’s Five Million Naira each on counts one to three, totaling N15million altogether.
She also ordered the company should be wound up, and its assets sold and proceeds used to pay the complainant.
The judge ordered the retiree to restitute the sum N24.3million to the complainant.
According to the EFCC Counsel, Mr Nwandu Ukoha, Ogara and the company committed the offences on December 17, 2017.
The commission said Ogara induced the Director of Kelly Newton Nigeria Ltd., Mr Usman Ademoye, to confer a benefit on him by delivering 8,000 units of waste bin worth N5.2million to him in the understanding that the waste bins would be paid for.
The commission said Ogara knew the representation to be false.
The EFCC added that Ogara induced Ademoye, the complainant, to confer a benefit on him by delivering copies of Kogi State Vehicle Consolidated documents worth N19.1million to him in the understanding that the documents would be paid for.
It said Ogara knew the representation to be false.
The prosecution called two witnesses through whom several documents were tendered and admitted by the Court, as exhibits.
The complainant testified as the first prosecution witness.
Ogara testified as the first defence witness, denying the allegations. Two other witnesses testified in his defence.
The offences are contrary to Section 1(1)(b) and (2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Fraud Offences Act of 2006, and Section 1(1)(b) and 2(b) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) Act, 2004