A High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has sentenced Bethel Onyedikachi Ukachukwu to two years imprisonment for defrauding a man of N500,000 under the false promise of securing an auctioned vehicle.
Justice Lekan Ogunmoye delivered the judgment after the defendant was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ekiti Zonal Directorate, on amended charges of obtaining money by false pretence and fraudulent conversion.
The EFCC told the court that Ukachukwu collected N500,000 from Kayode Aina Samuel after claiming he would use the money to bid for a vehicle being auctioned by the Nigeria Customs Service. Investigations, however, showed that the claim was false.
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendant dishonestly converted the money to his personal use instead of purchasing the vehicle as agreed.
The convict pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him.
Following the plea, EFCC prosecutor Saidu Yusuf called an investigating officer, Emmanuel Onuminya, who presented documentary evidence and exhibits before the court. After the exhibits were admitted, the prosecution urged the court to convict the defendant.
Defence counsel, T.A. Salami, appealed for mercy, telling the court that his client was remorseful and had refunded the complainant.
In his judgment, Justice Ogunmoye convicted Ukachukwu and sentenced him to two years imprisonment with an option of paying a N150,000 fine.
The EFCC disclosed that the convict had also falsely presented himself as a lieutenant in the Nigerian Army to gain the confidence of the victim before collecting the money. He neither supplied the promised vehicle nor returned the funds until the matter was reported to the commission, leading to his arrest and prosecution.
