Kwara: Courts jail bureau de change operator, two others for fraud

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 Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had on Wednesday October 9, 2024 arraigned the trio before the courts on separate charges.

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 when the charges were read to them, according to a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the agency, Dele Oyewale.

The court thereafter convicted and sentenced the defendants to various jail terms relying on the credibility of the cases presented before it and the unchallenged evidence of 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 sum of N4,069,000.00 recovered from Akeem, alongside his iphone 11 and $600 UD dollars recovered from Abdullahi together with iphone 11 pro max, being proceeds of their crimes were forfeited to the Federal Government.