A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced one Abodurin Gerald Abozo to eight years imprisonment for his involvement in a N62 million land fraud.
Justice I.O. Ijelu delivered the ruling on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, following Abozo’s conviction on charges of obtaining money under false pretenses and stealing.
Abozo was first arraigned on October 15, 2023, on a two-count charge. The charges included obtaining money by false pretence, in violation of Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and stealing, contrary to Section 287 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.
According to the court records, Count one stated: “Abodurin Gerald Abozos (doing business in the name and style of S.G.B. & As Property Lines Company), sometime in 2013 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N62,000,000.00 (Sixty-two Million Naira) from Engineer Samuel Segher, under the false pretext, that you have two plots of land for sale at Chevy Estate Ojomu Chieftaincy Family land, Lagos, and the said amount represented the purchase price, a representation you knew to be false.”
Similarly, Count two revealed: “Abodurin Gerald Abozos, (doing business in the name and style of S.G.B. & A Property Lines Company), sometime in 2013 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your use the aggregate sum of N62,000,000.00 (Sixty-two Million Naira), property of Engineer Samuel Segher.”
During the trial, Abozo maintained his innocence, pleading “not guilty” to both charges. However, the prosecution, led by M. S. Owede, presented two witnesses and submitted vital documents, including the convict’s extra-judicial statement, which were admitted as evidence by the court.
In his judgment, Justice Ijelu sentenced Abozo to seven years imprisonment on count one and an additional year on count two, to be served consecutively. The judge also ruled that there would be no option of fine and ordered the convict to make full restitution of N62 million to the victim, Engineer Samuel Segher.
Abozo’s fraudulent actions date back to 2013, when he falsely claimed to have two plots of land available for sale in Chevy Estate, Ojomu Chieftaincy Family land, Lagos. He collected N62 million from Segher, yet failed to deliver the land or refund the money, leading to his eventual arrest and conviction.
