LAGOS COURT SENTENCES MAN TO 13 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THEFT
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An Ikeja Special Offenses Court found Michael Enegbuma guilty of fraud on Friday and sentenced him to 13 years in jail.
He was found guilty on the two charges of theft and acquiring, and Justice Rahman Oshodi punished him.
Arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
For obtaining, stealing, and issuing a fraudulent check under false pretenses, Enegbuma appeared in court.
According to the EFCC, the offender committed the crimes in Lagos at some point on December 7, 2021.
According to the commission, Enegbuma dishonestly turned N10 million worth of property belonging to a man named David Umeh into his own.
Additionally, he was charged with fraudulently presenting to Zenith Bank Plc a Zenith Bank Manager’s Cheque No. 00060505, issued on November 16, 2021, for N10 million in David Mark Umeh’s favor. He then repurchased the manager’s check, obtaining the execution of valuable security.
The EFCC claims that the offenses violated Sections 285(9) and 322 of the Lagos State 2015 Criminal Laws.
When Enegbuma was originally arraigned on October 19, 2023, he entered a not guilty plea to both charges, which led to a full trial.
Nnaemeka Omewa, the prosecution attorney for the EFCC, called three witnesses and provided a number of documentary proofs to bolster her case during the trial.
David Umeh, the claimed victim, was the second witness for the prosecution. He told the court how he was duped out of approximately N84 million in a fictitious car transaction.
Umeh also told the court that after he reported the matter to the EFCC, the commission launched an investigation and secured a manager’s cheque of N10m on his behalf.
“Upon attempting to cash the cheque at the bank, I was shocked to learn it held no value.
“This triggered a further investigation by the EFCC, revealing that Enegbuma had repurchased the cheque under the pretence that the original had been lost.
“Less than a week after depositing the funds into his account, which reportedly held just N10,000, Enegbuma spent the N10m, in quick succession,” he said.
In his defense testimony, Enegbuma stated that he had followed legal counsel.
He did not, however, name the attorney throughout the trial.
The prosecution has proven all counts beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Justice Oshodi’s ruling.
”The judge held that Enegbuma’s actions had ‘undermined the sanctity of the manager’s cheque.’
Justice Oshodi pronounced him “guilty as charged.”
Enegbuma was sentenced to four years and two months on the first count and nine years on the second count by the judge after his attorney, G. Okoli, entered a plea of leniency. Both periods were to run concurrently, according to Oshodi.
Enegbuma was directed to serve his time at the Ikoyi Maximum Custodial Center.
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