Property Agent Converts Customer’s N5.5m For Purchase Of House To Personal Use, Slammed 30 Months

A 45-year-old property agent, Kingsley James was on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for N5.5 million fraud by Ibrahim Emmanuel of Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court.

James was tried on a two-count charge of theft and obtaining money by false pretences, offences contravened sections 217 and 287 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

The defendant pleaded guilty.

During court sitting, the prosecutor, Insp. Chidi Leo told the court that the defendant committed the offences sometime on February 15, 2021, around 2:00 pm at Barnawa, Kaduna.

Leo said that the defendant collected the sum of N5.5 million from the complainant, Mr. David Zamani, under the pretence of selling an uncompleted bungalow building to him.

The prosecutor said that the defendant did not sell the building to the complainant, but converted the money to his personal use.

Magistrate Emmanuel sentenced James to 15 months imprisonment on each of the two-count charges with an option of a N100,000 fine.

He ruled that the sentences should run concurrently.

Emmanuel also ordered the convict to restitute the sum of N5.5 million to the complainant.

He also ordered that in the event that the convict fails to restitute the complainant, he shall serve additional two years prison term.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Tuesday, said the face-off between his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, is “nothing abnormal.”