Man jailed 13 years for stealing in Lagos

An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday convicted and sentenced a man Michael Enegbuma, to 13 years imprisonment for fraud.

Justice Rahman Oshodi sentenced him after finding him guilty of the two counts bordering on obtaining and stealing.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned

Enegbuma before the court for obtaining, stealing, and issuing a dud cheque under false pretence.

The EFCC said the convict committed the offences sometime on December 7, 2021, in Lagos.

The commission said Enegbuma dishonestly converted to his use the sum of N10m property of one David Umeh.

He was also accused of falsely presenting to Zenith Bank Plc, a Zenith Bank Manager’s Cheque No. 00060505, dated November 16, 2021, to the tune of N10m, issued in favour of David Mark Umeh and thereafter repurchased the said manager’s cheque, thereby procuring the execution of valuable security.

According to the EFCC, the offences committed contravened Sections  285(9) and 322 of the Criminal  Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

Enegbuma pleaded not guilty to both charges when he was first arraigned on October 19, 2023, prompting a full trial.

During the trial, the EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called three witnesses and presented several documentary evidence to support the case.

The alleged victim, David Umeh, testified as the prosecution’s second witness. He narrated to the court how he was defrauded of about N84m, in a supposed car deal.

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.

Enegbuma testified in his defence, claiming he had acted on a lawyer’s advice.

However, he failed to identify the lawyer during the trial.

In his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the prosecution had proved all counts beyond reasonable doubt.

”The judge held that Enegbuma’s actions had ‘undermined the sanctity of the manager’s cheque.’

Justice Oshodi pronounced him “guilty as charged.”

Following the plea of leniency by his counsel, G. Okoli, the judge sentenced Enegbuma to four years and two months on the first count and nine years on the second count. Oshodi said both terms were to run concurrently.

He ordered that Enegbuma serve his sentence at the Ikoyi Maximum Custodial Centre.