By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The trial of Dominic Ozulu and Michael Ogbobe which began in May 18, 2017 over N1.5 million land scam has ended with the duo found guilty and convicted by the trial judge, Justice R. O. Dugbo Oghoghorie of the Federal High Court, Enugu.
The Court convicted and sentenced the duo of Dominic Ozulu and Michael Ogbobe to 35 years imprisonment each over the N1,520,000.00 land fraud.
The convicts were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Enugu zonal office on a five-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretenses, forgery and uttering.
The prosecution submitted that the convicts fraudulently sold a plot of land at Nsukka, Enugu State belonging to one Professor Charles Okigbo to one Omeye Anthony.
Ozulu who claimed that Okigbo gave him the land as a gift after serving him for seventeen (17) years, forged a Deed of Assignment purportedly signed by Professor Okigbo as proof of transfer of the title of ownership.
The victim petitioned EFCC when he discovered that Professor Okigbo never transferred any Deed of Assignment to the convicts.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution counsel, Michael Ani Ikechukwu, called four witnesses and tendered twelve exhibits.
After reviewing the evidence before the court, the judge found the defendants guilty as charged and sentenced them to seven years imprisonment each in all of the five counts preferred against them by the Commission. The sentence will run concurrently.
The court further ordered the convicts to restitute the victim, the sum of One Million, Five Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira (N1,520,000.00).
