KADUNA – Justice Dairus Khobo of the Kaduna High Court, on Tuesday, sentenced one Nathan Edward, 40, to two years imprisonment for N15 million fraud.
The judge sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy and fraud.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Khobo held that the prosecution successfully proved the offences of conspiracy and fraud against Edward beyond reasonable doubt.
“I hereby sentence you, Edward, to two years imprisonment without an option of fine with regards to count one and also two years without an option of fine with regards to count two,” he said.
“The four years are to run concurrently and I also order restituition as stated earlier in favour of the complainant, Tabitha Innocent.
“All money in the account of the convict shall be applied to offset the said N15 million and if the money is inadequate, the movable and immovable assets of the convict shall be jointly and/or severally sold to offset the total amount fraudulently collected from the complainant,” he said.
Earlier, Precious Onyeneho, Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), told the court that the convict committed the offences sometime in September 2024 in Kaduna.
Onyeneho said that the defendant and two others at large dishonestly deceived Innocent to pay N15 million to his FCMB account for six plots of land, located at Kujama in Kaduna.
The prosecutor said that as soon as the convict confirmed that money had been paid into his account, he avoided calls from the complainant.
The prosecutor said that subsequently all efforts made by Innocent to get her money back proved abortive.
Onyeneho said the offences contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
