Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced one Yakubu Aminu to 200 hours community service for carrying out bureau de change businesses without a valid licence.
Similarly, a Kwara State High Court presided over by Justice Hammed Gegele also jailed the duo of Abdulalahi Abdulrasaq Omotosho and Akeem Ibrahim Salaudeen for involvement in internet fraud-related crime.
The trio was arraigned before the courts on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), EFCC.
The charge sheet on Yakubu by the anti-graft agency read, “That you, Yakubu Aminu sometime in July 2024, at Chikanda Market, Yashikira District, Baruten Local Government Area, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did carry on, other financial business, to wit: Bureau De Change Business without a valid licence issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria contrary to Section 15 (5) of the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act, 2020 and punishable under Section 57 (5) (B) of the same Act.”
In respect of Akeem, the charge reads, “that you, Akeem Ibrahim Salaudeen between 3rd December 2018 and 8th November 2024, in Ilorin, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, did knowingly had under your control the sum of N4,069, 000.00 in your bank account number 2104916025, with the name Akeem Ibrahim Salaudeen, with the United Bank of Africa Plc, which you knew to be proceeds of criminal conduct and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319 (a) of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.”
The defendants pleaded guilty upon being presented with the charges, as stated by Dele Oyewale, the Head of Media and Publicity at the agency.
Following this, the court proceeded to convict and sentence the defendants to various jail terms, basing its decision on the credibility of the cases presented and the unquestioned evidence provided by the prosecution.
Justice Awogboro sentenced Aminu to 200 hours community service without an option of fine.
The judge also ordered that the sum of 50,000cfa and N368,500 recovered from him at the point of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Justice Gegele on his part sentenced the duo of Akeem and Abdullahi to six months imprisonment each, with an option of N150,000 fine.
The total amount of N4,069,000.00, including the seized iPhone 11 Pro Max and $600 USD in Universal Direct, were ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government, as they were considered proceeds of their crimes.
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