Health and Safety
AWOJOBI: Islamic cleric bags 2 years imprisonment over N37.6m fraud
…Appellant says EFCC secures justice the Police almost stalled!***
An Islamic cleric, Ganiu Awojobi, was on Thursday jailed two years by an Ikeja Special Offences Court for defrauding a U.S.-based businesswoman, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Akinwole of N37.6 million.
Awojobi was convicted, following his re-arraignment after entering into a plea bargain agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Awojobi, who was initially standing trial with a self- acclaimed oil marketer, Olufemi Adesanya, pleaded not guilty to an amended two-count charge of stealing and obtaining money by false pretence, also known as 419.
According to the EFCC, the duo allegedly defrauded Akinwole, leaked her nude pictures on social media and falsely claimed on social media that she had committed suicide by jumping into the Lagos lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge in 2017.
During the re-arraignment, Awojobi, the second defendant, pleaded guilty but Adesanya, the first defendant still maintained his initial not guilty plea.
In his allocutus (plea for mercy), Mr Goddy Osuyi, the Defence Counsel, told the court that Awojobi had pleaded with Akinwole, the complainant, to accept a four bedroom flat worth N13 million as compensation.
“Awojobi is now sober and has truly repented,’’ Osuyi said.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Mojisola Dada, said that Awojobi, as part of his plea bargain agreement, had agreed to forfeit the property, a four bedroom flat that he had acquired as proceed from the fraud.
She noted that the convict was initially arraigned on Nov. 8, 2018 and that the EFCC Prosecutor, Mr S.O. Daji, had already called four witnesses to testify against Awojobi.
The judge said: “I have listened to the allocutus of the second defence counsel, Osuyi, and have also considered the plea bargain agreement before the court.
“The second defendant is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment as agreed in the plea bargain.
“The prison sentence should begin from the day of his remand by the court on Nov. 8, 2018. This is the judgment of the court.’’
During the trial, Akinwole in her lengthy evidence against the defendants, said that the duo defrauded her of N71million under the pretext of rendering special prayers for her and helping her to invest in crude oil business.
Also read: Three Jailed For Defrauding UI Ph.D Student, ‘Yahoo-yahoo’ In Ibadan
According to the woman, the defendants, after defrauding her, posted her nude pictures which they had extracted from her phone on social media.
She said they had also falsely claimed that she had committed suicide to deter and frustrate her from coming after them and seeking justice.
“My father even suffered stroke after seeing my nude pictures online. They deceived me into believing that I would get a 150 per cent profit after a month of investment.
“They kept extorting money from me with claims that the ports needed more money to perfect the transaction before releasing the oil.
“This made me borrow huge amounts from friends just to make the deal work,’’ she said.
Akinwole said she found out about the scam when an employee of Adesanya, (first defendant), called her and informed her that the defendants never invested her money in any oil business but rather used it to buy houses and exotic cars.
She said: “Adesanya’s employee told me his boss bought a house and five exotic cars while his friend, Awojobi bought a house and three cars. He told me to quickly come to Nigeria and arrest them.
“That was when I flew back to Nigeria and got Adesanya arrested but Awojobi ran away. Adesanya was arrested three times on different occasions but the police would always release him in less than 24-hours.
“I got so frustrated that I didn’t know what to do. So I called my lawyer to petition the EFCC and he did.
“Adesanya was finally arrested by the Osogbo Special Anti-Robbery Squad and handed over to the EFCC.
“He was also released on administrative bail by the EFCC. The second defendant was arrested a month later.
“It was after their release from custody that they uploaded my nude pictures on the internet and tagged my name, my husband, my children and my company.
“The pictures went viral because he also sent them to a Yoruba newspaper and other newspapers.
“They released those pictures on June 1, and thereafter, went to a blogger to report that I had jumped into the Lagos Lagoon.
“They did all that, simply to frustrate me from seeking justice and retrieving my money. But I was resolved because my husband stood by me all through the disgrace,’’ Akinwole said.
Dada adjourned the case until Oct. 30 for continuation of the trial of Adesanya.
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Adamawa Command, has strengthened synergy with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to fight the menace of drug trafficking and abuse in the state and the country at large.
Speaking during a visit to the NUJ on Wednesday in Yola, the NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Abubakar Aliyu, acknowledged the contributions of the media and solicited more collaboration.
While noting the vital role the media had been playing in the fight against drug abuse in the state, Aliyu urged media practitioners to expose traffickers to secure the future of youths.
According to him, NDLEA alone cannot do it, hence the need for collaboration with all stakeholders to end the menace.
He said that since his assumption of duty in the state on June 16, the agency had been trying to see that Adamawa was free from drug trafficking and abuse.
“We are not only after the traffickers; we are also after the future of the youth of Adamawa State.”
“The police cannot do it alone. No agency can do it alone. The only common platform that all of us can come and join to see to it that we have succeeded is the platform of the journalists.”
“You are the one that have given us that platform, and we are leveraging that platform to see to it that the message we have for the people of the state and our country at large is passed,” he said.
Aliyu stated that the agency was undergoing the Drug Integrity Test as part of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) activities to determine the degree of people’s involvement in substance abuse.
In his remarks, the NUJ Chairman in the state, Abdullahi Ibrahim, appreciated the NDLEA commander for the visit and assured him of the continued support of journalists.
According to him, journalists will work hard to create awareness for people to understand the dangers of drug abuse and trafficking in the society.
The Ondo State Security Network Agency, Codenamed Amotekun Corps, says it is after criminal godfathers as part of efforts at combating crime in the state.
Mr Adetunji Adeleye, State Commander of Amotekun Corps, who said this while addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Akure, explained that the corps had gone beyond arresting criminals alone.
Adeleye, who disclosed that 28 suspects were arrested for different crimes in the state, said the criminal world was evolving, hence, Amotekun would also evolve.
“Amotekun always strives to be ahead of them. We are now after their godfathers and backbones, and the reason is simple.
“We don’t want to relent. Hence, our fight is not against the criminals alone, but against their sponsors.
“So, we are saying that until we uproot them, we won’t have total peace.
“The chain of criminality has to be broken and uprooted. We need the socio-economic growth of the state to continue to increase.
“By the intervention of Amotekun, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Ondo State increased by over 500 per cent in 2023.
“The directive of Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa is to create an enabling environment for investors to bombard the state.
“The security architecture of Ondo State is firm, and the best criminals can do is to run away from this state. The joint patrol team in some parts of the state is still ongoing,” he stated.
The commander also said Amotekun had dominated the forests, which was no longer a safe place for criminals, saying farmers can go back to their farms.
“What we are saying is that when you see something, quickly say something and let us intervene because if you delay, the delay might be dangerous,” he said.
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) Search and Rescue team says another body from the Third Mainland Bridge accident of Aug. 23 has been recovered.
LASWA General Manager, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
Emmanuel confirmed that the recovered body had since been released to the victim’s family.
He said while early reports suggested only one victim, investigations later confirmed a second passenger, identified as 31-year-old Chado Daniel Danladi of Oremeta Street, Ikeja.
Danladi was identified as a colleague of the first victim.
Emmanuel said the incident occurred in the early hours of Aug. 23, when a Toyota Camry plunged into the Lagos Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.
He noted that LASWA’s rescue team responded immediately after receiving the distress call.
“The vehicle carried a female passenger, identified as Aisha, aged between 25 and 35. Her body was quickly recovered by divers and handed to her family,” he said.
He added that emergency units from LASWA, Marine Police, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) worked seamlessly with support from local fishermen.
“This incident demonstrates the efficiency of our coordinated emergency response and the strong community support that strengthens Lagos State’s capacity to manage waterway emergencies.
“We remain committed to ensuring safety and rapid response in all such cases,” Emmanuel said.
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