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Adetutu Sobowale
An Ogun state high court has sentenced one Femi Agbaje to seven-year imprisonment for obtaining money with false pretence and intent to defraud.
The defendant, who committed multiple fraud was docked on a three-count charge.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Agbaje, sometimes in 2014 at Expo park, Kuto Abeokuta falsely represented himself to one Bimpe Ayeni as being a contractor with the Ogun state Government, thereby defrauded her of the sum of N105,000.
In the same vein, Agbaje also sometimes in the month of March, 2017 at the Ministry of Agriculture, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta fraudulently obtained 34 gallons of paint worth the sum of N165,000 from one Mrs Funke Adeoye.
It was gathered that Agbaje on both occasions had gone to his victims claiming he was awarded painting contracts by the Ogun state government and require their painting service and ordered large amount of paint. He would then pretend to make bank transfers which had never gone through.
Agbaje who had interior motives deceived the paint sellers to send the money through their companies’ painter but would only take the painter to any building and drop two buckets of paint.
He would then drive off claiming he needed to get ladder, adding that the painter should continue with his work and that had always been the end.
Agbaje, however pleaded not guilty to the offences.
Delivering her judgement, Justice Rotimi Balogun dismissed charge one count noting that the charge is not well established.
The justice, however, sentenced the defendant to seven-year imprisonment with hard work concurrently.
She said, “the defendant, Agbaje Adeola Femi having been found guilty of counts two and three is hereby sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard work.
“In summary, I find the defendant guilty as charged and convicted him accordingly.
“By section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, a person found guilty of obtaining goods by false pretence is liable if the thing is of the value of the sum of one thousand Naira to imprisonment for seven years.
“In similar vein by section 1(3) of Advanced Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, a person found guilty is liable to 7-yrs minimum term of imprisonment without option of fine.”
