Farmer jailed 4 years for N5m land fraud

A Kaduna Magistrates’ Court on Thursday sentenced a 40-year-old farmer, Nathan Monday, to four years imprisonment for N5million land fraud.

The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, convicted Monday after he pleaded guilty of obtaining the sum by false pretence from the complainant, Mr Christopher Aaron.

Emmanuel held that the prosecution successfully proved the one count of fraud against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.

According to him, the defendant is therefore sentenced to four years without option of fine with regards to the count.

He also ordered restitution of N5million in favour of the victim, adding, that all monies in the account of the defendants should be applied to offset the said sum of N5million.

“If the money is inadequate, the movable and immovable assets of the defendants shall be jointly and/or severally sold to offset the total amount fraudulently collected from the victim,” magistrate added.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Chidi Leo, told the court that the defendant falsely presented himself as owner capable of selling a property at Ungwan Maigero, in Kaduna State, to the complainant.

Leo said the defendant had already sold the property in question to someone else.
He said when the complainant went to the property to start work, he found another person developing the said land.

“All effort made by the complainant to get his money back proved abortive.

Leo said the offence contravened Section 244 of the Penal Code Kaduna State, 2017.