Ogun: jailed for fraud

Justice O. A. Adeniyi of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja on Tuesday convicted and sentenced one Micheal Ogun (a.k.a Idris Suleiman, Ibrahim Bello) to 27 months imprisonment on a six-count charge of forgery and obtaining by false pretence brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

EFCC alleged in the charges that Ogun usually posed as an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to defraud innocent Nigerians under the guise of securing them job in the two agencies.

The anti graft agency said the job scam was reported to it by one Angela Chinwe Okeke who was duped by the defendant.

In the course of the trial, Ogun changed his plea following a plea bargain agreement.

At the resumed sitting on Tuesday,  Justice Adeniyi asked the defendant to carefully study the plea bargain arrangement and confirm if he fully understood the terms and conditions contained therein noting that, the matter was adjourned for conviction and conclusion of the trial, following chilling evidences tendered against him by the prosecution.

Responding, Ogun’s counsel, Samuel Zibiri, SAN, stated that the defendant has pleaded guilty to all counts.

Referring to paragraph three of the plea bargain, Zibiri urged the court to look at the option of fine adding that the defendant is a young married man with a wife and two infants alongside his aged parents. He further stated that Ogun will restitute all his victims with veritable claims and proof of monies paid.

He further stated that Ogun will restitute all his victims with veritable claims and proof of monies paid.

Justice Adeniyi, after a careful perusal of the plea bargain terms ruled out the option of fine holding that, “the plea bargain was an afterthought coming in at the dying minute after the prosecution has proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt”.

The judge, thereafter, found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to three months each on counts one to five without an option of fine and one year on count six.

Additionally, the convict is to refund the money fraudulently collected from all his clients.