A 58-year-old Ekiti herbalist, Nurudeen Ibrahim, has been handed a five-year prison sentence with hard labour over his involvement in a fraud case amounting to N8 million.
The sentence was delivered by Magistrate Olatomiwa Daramola at the Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court on August 2, 2022.
Ibrahim faced charges of conspiracy, fraud, and indecent assault, with allegations stemming from September 2019 in Aramoko-Ekiti.
The prosecution, led by Inspector Elijah Adejare, outlined that Ibrahim, alongside accomplices who remain at large, deceived a businesswoman into parting with N10.4 million and subjected her to indecent assault.
During the trial, the complainant, a Lagos-based businesswoman, testified that her father introduced her to the herbalist for assistance during a challenging period for her business.
Subsequently, she discovered that Ibrahim had used charms on her, exploiting her financially and engaging in indecent acts.
The complainant sold her properties, including cars and a house, to raise the N10.4 million, which Ibrahim collected. Despite her falling seriously ill, Ibrahim allegedly refused to release part of the funds for her medical care, threatening her life if she disclosed their interactions.
To support the case, the prosecution called seven witnesses and presented various exhibits, including the complainant’s statements, photographs of her on a sickbed, charms and fetish objects, a Toyota Camry car, and the defendant’s statement.
Ibrahim, in his defense, denied some of the allegations but admitted to obtaining N8 million from the businesswoman.
The magistrate, after careful consideration, found Ibrahim not guilty of conspiracy but convicted him of obtaining money by false pretenses—fraud.
The sentence includes five years of imprisonment with hard labor or an option for restitution of the N8 million.
Regarding the Toyota Camry car, identified as proceeds of the crime, Magistrate Daramola invoked Section 296 (b) of the Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2014, ordering that it be applied as part of the restitution sum to the complainant.
This verdict sends a strong message about the consequences of fraudulent activities, emphasizing the need for justice and restitution for victims of financial crimes.
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