Retired staff of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nasiru Ogara, will spend 14 years’ imprisonment, following his involvement in shady business deals.
The retiree was sentenced by a Lagos court for partaking in a N24.3 million waste bin and vehicle documents scam alongside his company, New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted Ogara and his company on a four-count charge of attaining by falsehood and issuance of valueless cheques.
The defendants were arraigned at an Ikeja Special offences Court before Justice Mojisola Dada.
The Judge held that the prosecution efficiently demonstrated the ingredients of the offences filed against him and his company.
According to EFCC counsel, Mr. Nwandu Ukoha, Ogara, and the company committed the offences on December 17, 2017.
Ogara was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment after he was found guilty on counts one and two by Justice Dada.
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Ogara was also sentenced to two years jail term on count three, however, the judge discharged the defendants on count four, adding that the sentences should run concurrently.
Justice Dada additionally slammed a N15 million fine on the retiree’s company, while ordering that the company get coiled up and its assets sold to pay the complainant.
The judge ordered the retiree to restitute the sum N24.3 million to the complainant.
Background
The offences are contrary to Section 1(1)(b) and (2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Fraud Offences Act of 2006, and Section 1(1)(b) and 2(b) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) Act, 2004
The EFCC said that Ogara convinced the Director of Kelly Newton Nigeria Ltd., Mr Usman Ademoye, to confer a benefit on him by delivering 8,000 units of waste bins worth N5.2 million.
The EFCC added that Ogara prompted Ademoye, the complainant, to converse a benefit on him by providing N19.1 million worth copies of Kogi State Vehicle Consolidated documents.
The commission maintained that Ogara had knowledge that the documents would be paid for, with an understanding that the representation was false.
The prosecution presented two witnesses through whom several documents were submitted and acknowledged by the court as exhibits.
The complainant testified as the first prosecution witness, as Ogara denied all allegations when he testified as the first defence witness.
Two other witnesses testified in his defence.