Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of Kwara State High Court sitting for Ilorin been sentence one fake Customs Officer, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan to 20 years imprisonment on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021.
The court been find the convict guilty of of fences bordering on impersonation and job scam. The convict been dey pose as customs officer, collect money from people follow promise them work for Nigeria Custom Service, NCS before market spoil.
The 34-year-old Yakubu na from Share, Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State. Na for March 14th, 2019, Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, been arraign am on a four count charge.
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Yakubu been plead not guilty to all the counts so full trial come start. The trial been take up to 2 years and over 4 witnesses including one wey be officer from Nigeria Custom Service.
For Thursday, Justice Abdulgafar talk say all the evidence don prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Na like this he talk am:
“It is very clear from the totality of the evidence of PW1 – PW4 that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubts. It was the evidence of PW1 that the Nigeria Custom Service does not sell its recruitment forms to job applicants, but the defendant was collecting various sum of monies from his victims as application fees. All these evidence were not challenged or controverted by the defendant.
Another aspect to be considered in this case is the statements made by the defendant while he was in the custody of the EFCC. The statements were made voluntarily and he (Yakubu) confessed to the crime.
The statements of account of the defendant is additional evidence in this case. The statements showed how monies were deposited into his account domiciled with the UBA by several job seekers.
It’s the opinion of this Honourable Court that the case of the prosecution has merit”
Yakubu counsel, S. O Ishola been dey beg the court make dem no use strong hand hold am as na him first time be this.
Counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, been draw the attention of the court go the punishment wey constitution don keep for people like Yakubu and the judge talk say e no get wetin he fit do outside that so he sentence Yakubu to 20 years imprisonment.
Na like this he talk am:
“I hereby sentence you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan to 7 years imprisonment on count 1; 7 years imprisonment on count 2; 3 years imprisonment on count 3 and 3 years imprisonment on count 4, to run concurrently.
The convict is to spend his custodial sentence at Mandala Correctional Centre with effect from November 14, 2019”.
