A pastor in the Deeper Life Bible Church, Anjorin Adanikin and a Mallam, Maliu Aliyu, are to spend the next one year in prison for defrauding local farmers in the distribution of fertiliser.
An Ado-Ekiti Magistrate’s Court yesterday found them guilty of diverting the fertiliser for their personal gain.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Oriyomi Akinwale told the court that the accused committed the offence between May and June 2013 in Emure-Ekiti, Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
According to the prosecutor, the accused fraudulently converted 1,800 bags of fertiliser meant for distribution to farmers in the local government.
The commodity was to be sold for N2,750 per bag but the accused connived to sell the fertiliser at N3,500 per bag.
The prosecutor noted that the offence contravenes Section 1 (3) of the Advanced Free Fraud and other Related Offences Act LFN 2006.
The defence counsel, Ademola Okeya, pleaded with the court for leniency.
But the Magistrate, Bayode Owoeye, rejected the plea. He described the defendant’s action as “callous”.
He said the court would not shy away from dispensing justice to deter others.
Magistrate Owoeye sentenced the duo to one year imprisonment without fine option.
No comments:
Post a Comment