Fake surveyor jailed 3 years over N2.5m fraud

An Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court on Friday sentenced a 55-year-old man, Benjamin Adegbola, to three years imprisonment for defrauding two families of N2.5 millon while pretending to obtain a land survey plan for them.

Adegbola, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was convicted on a three- count charge of stealing, fraud and obtaining under false pretence.

The Magistrate, Mr S. S Shotayo, said that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty as charged.

Shotayo sentenced Adegbola to two years for the first count, one year for the second count and three years for the third count. The sentences would run concurrently.

He also gave an option to the convict to refund N1.7 million to the complainants, or serve the jail sentence.

Earlier, during the trial, the Prosecutor, Insp. Evelyn Motim, told the court that the convict committed the offence between March, 2020 and August 2021, at Oke-ilewo area in Abeokuta.

According Motim, the convict falsely presented himself as a registered surveyor and fraudulently obtained the sum of N2.5 million from the families of Viadinu Todeuke and OkeOdebija

She said the convict collected the money in pretext to secure a registered land survey plan for the two families which he failed to do and could not refund the money.

The prosecutor added that the convict collected the money and converted it to his personal use.

The offence contravened sections 484, 390(9) and 419 of the Criminal Code Laws of Ogun, 2006.