An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Wednesday sentenced Abodurin Abozo to eight years imprisonment for defrauding a man of N62 million under the false pretense of procuring him two plots of land.
Justice Ismail Ijelu, who presided over the case, ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successfully proved the two-count charge of obtaining by false pretenses and stealing against Abozo.
“The convict obtained N56 million from the complainant, Samuel Segher, on the pretext of procuring two plots of land at Chevy Estate Ojomu in Lagos,” the judge said.
According to the court, Abozo assured Segher that he owned the land after payment was made. However, Segher later discovered that someone else had built on the property when he tried to take possession. All attempts to recover his money failed.
Justice Ijelu sentenced Abozo to seven years imprisonment on the first count and an additional one-year term on the second count. He also ordered Abozo to restitute the entire N62 million to the complainant.
Abozo was initially arraigned by the EFCC on October 15, 2023, where he pleaded not guilty to both charges. The defendant, alongside his company SGB & A Property Lines, faced trial after his plea.
The prosecution, led by EFCC counsel Spiff Owede, called two witnesses and presented several pieces of evidence, including extrajudicial statements from Abozo, all of which were admitted by the court. The defense, however, relied solely on the testimony of the convict.
According to the EFCC, Abozo’s actions violated Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2006 and Section 287 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
