A 31 years old man, Abiodun Ojo has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for obtaining N3. 9 million under false pretence from a cocoa trader.
The Chief Magistrate, Patricia Igho-Braimoh of Egor Magistrates court sentenced Abiodun Ojo after she was found guilty of a three-count charge.
Igho-Braimoh, however, gave the convict an option of paying the sum of N300,000 as fine.
Earlier, the prosecutor, ASP Osayomwanbor Omoruyi, told the court that the convict sometimes in the month of June to July 6, 2019 at Ogboni street, around Siluko in Benin city conspired with two others at Large, under false pretence to obtained N437,000 from one Mercy Ashaka.
According to the prosecutor, Ojo told the complainant that he was among the owners/representatives of a cocoa farm located at lletutu community in Ondo.
The convict took the complainant to the cocoa farm and introduced her to other three men.
The convict said he was in position to sell to Ashaka, which he knew was false and collected the money from Ashaka.
He added that the convict also collected 15 pieces of clothes of six yards each from Ashaka under the pretence that they were going to share it with members of their family.
The prosecutor said total money and property of the complainant the convict collected valued N3.9 million
The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provision of sections 516, two-count bordering on 419, and 383(1) punishable under section 390(8)(c) and (9) of the Criminal Code Cap. 48 Vol. 11, Laws of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976, now applicable in Edo.
