An Oyo State magistrate court sitting in Iwo Road has sentenced a 47-year- old civil servant working with the State Ministry of Lands, housing and Survey, Mrs Funmi Salako, to two years Imprisonment or sixty thousand Naria option of fine (N60,000.00) after being found guilty for duping a deaf and dumb of the sum of one million naira (1,000,000)
Salako was arraigned on June 5, 2017, before Magistrate Taiwo Oladiran on a three-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining and stealing in a case delineated MI/76c/2017 but she had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, Mr Sunday Ogunremi, had told the court that the convict and others now at large had between the month of July to October 2014 at about 2 pm at Agodi Ibadan, did conspire together to defraud a deaf and dumb by collecting the sum of one million naira from him.
He said on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned place did fraudulently obtain the sum of one million Naira (N1,000,000.00) from one deaf and dumb identified as Mr Musibau Ilori under the pretence of helping him buy two acres of lands along Oyo expressway
Ogunremi said the convict also stole the sum of one million Naira (N1,000, 000.00) and converted it to her personal use without his consent
The prosecutor alleged that she committed an offence contrary to the punishable under Section 518 (6), 419 and section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol. II laws of Oyo state of Nigeria, 2000
On June 5, 2017, the convict had pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of 100, 000.00 with two sureties who are gainfully employed.
After the hearing, the case was adjourned till June 14, 2018, for facts and sentencing.
After listening to the facts of the matter, the Magistrate told the convict that she is heartless and didn’t consider the condition of the complainant who is physically challenged.
In her defence, counsel to the convict, Mrs Florence Badmus prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that she is the breadwinner of her family
The council claimed that the convict had already refunded five hundred thousand Naira out of the aforementioned sum ( N500,000.00)
In his ruling, Magistrate, Oladiran sentenced her to two years imprisonment with an option of sixty thousand naira
He, however, insisted that the convict should reimburse the defendant the sum of N500, 000 within sixty days if she would take the option of fine, otherwise she should be jailed.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
