N24.3m Fraud: Ports Authority Retiree Sentences to 16 Years Imprisonment

N24.3m Fraud: Ports Authority Retiree Sentences to 16 Years Imprisonment

Justice Mojisola Dada of an Ikeja special offences court has sentenced Nasiru Ogara, a retired staff of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) to 16 years imprisonment over N24.3m fraud.

The Lagos State Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had listed a four-count charge against Ogara and his company, New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd.

According to Nwandu Ukoha, EFCC counsel, Ogara in 2017 induced one Usman Ademoye, director of Kelly Newton Nigeria Ltd, to confer a benefit on him by delivering 8,000 units of waste bin worth N5.2 million to him in the understanding that the waste bins would be paid for.

The commission said that Ogara knew the representation to be false.

The anti-graft agency told the court that Ogara also induced Ademoye to confer a benefit on him by delivering copies of Kogi state vehicle consolidated documents worth N19.1 million to him in the understanding that the documents would be paid for.

The first defendant was also said to have issued dud cheques to the complainant.

He pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges when he was first arraigned in February 2018

Although the defendants were acquitted on count four, they were found guilty on counts one, two, and three.

Delivering judgment in the case on Wednesday, the judge, Mojisola Dada held that the prosecution proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

While Ogara bagged 14 years in prison on counts one and two, he was handed a two-year sentence on counts three.

The judge held that the sentences should run concurrently and also imposed a fine of N15 million on the retiree’s company. It was further ordered to be wound up with its assets sold and the revenue used to pay its victim.

The convict was also ordered to restitute the sum of N24.3 million to the complainant.