By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Two legal practitioners, Sogo Akinola and Feranmi Akinluyi, have been convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment each by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
The convicts were arraigned in October 2018 by the Lagos zone of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences and stealing to the tune of N24 million.
The defendants had pleaded “not guilty” to the charge preferred against them, thereby leading to their full trial.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution, through its counsel, Spiff Owede, called five witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted in evidence by the court.
Delivering her judgement, Justice Taiwo found the defendants guilty of the offence and sentenced them to two years imprisonment each, with an option of fine of N1million.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Sogo Akinola and Feranmi Akinluyi, between 13th October, 2016 and 13th November, 2016 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N24 million (twenty-four million Naira) from Olawale Oyetunde, under the pretence that the money was part-payment for the purchase of property at 21, Adegbenle Street, Chevy View Estate, off Chevron Drive, Lekki Lagos which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, No. 14 of 2006.”