BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
An Osogbo Chief Magistrate’s Court in Osun State, has sentenced a 36-year-old man, Ayotomide Adeniyi, to nine years imprisonment for impersonating the legal profession and also defrauding litigants.
The Police in the state dragged Adeniyi to court for fraudulently collecting some money from unsuspecting members of the public to appear for them in courts.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Elisha Olusegun, informed the court that the convict falsely obtained a total sum of N35,000 from two litigants after falsely identifying himself as a lawyer.
Olusegun said Adeniyi committed the offences between the months of January and June, 2023 in Osogbo.
“With intent to defraud, you, Ayotomide Adeniyi, falsely presented yourself as a lawyer to unsuspecting members of the public, a representation you know to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 484 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“You did with intent to defraud, unlawfully obtain the sum of Thirty Thousand Naira (N30,000) from one Ganiyu Sukurat, under the pretence to appear for her in court as a lawyer and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
“That you, Ayotomide Adeniyi, on the same date, time, place and in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did with intent to defraud, unlawfully obtain the sum of Five Thousand Naira (N5,000) from one Oyinloye Samuel under the pretence of assisting him to secure his bail in court and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002,” some of the counts read.
The prosecutor further alleged that Adeniyi engaged himself in an unlawful society known as Alora Confraternity, a secret cult and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 64 of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. II laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
Adeniyi entered a not-guilty plea to the allegations. He was not legally represented.
The prosecutor, during presentation of facts of the matter, convinced the court that Adeniyi committed the crimes.
Delivering his judgement, Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara found Adeniyi guilty and convicted him on three counts out of the six counts that were slammed against the defendant.
Ayilara sentenced the convict to three years imprisonment for each of the three counts and ordered that the terms should run concurrently.
