EFCC Nabs Ilorin-based
EFCC Nabs Ilorin-based Lawyer for Swindling Land
Owners
The trial of Ilorin-based legal practitioner, Akeem Jimoh who is
accused of serially defrauding people of their lands commenced on
Monday, July 15, 2019 before Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of Kwara
State High Court, sitting in Ilorin with the prosecution calling
two witnesses that included Babatunde Shittu, a key prosecution
witness and EFCC operative.
Shittu told the court that the EFCC received a petition from one
Mr Chukwudi sometime in March 2019, alleging that the defendant
defrauded him of about NI.600million (One Hundred and Six Million
Naira) landed property.
According to him, Jimoh received a power of attorney from the
landlord to sell his land, and that aside selling the land to
various persons, he did not remit the money to the owner.
“The defendant stopped picking the complainant’s calls after
this incident. Upon his arrest, his family and friends put pressure
on the complainant and he withdrew his petition,” Shittu said.
While being led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Sessan
Ola, the witness further disclosed that “The Commission received a
transferred case file from Ibadan Zonal Office the EFCC where one
Alhaji Saka Kareem claimed that he gave power of attorney to the
defendant to sell 20 out of 35 plots of his land, situated at Tanke
in Ilorin. He sold the whole 35 and diverted the money to his own
personal use. Upon his family intervention, the second petitioner
also withdrew his petition that he was no longer interested in the
case.”
Another petition against the lawyer came from one Ogunleye Dare
Benjamin, who claimed that he bought a plot of land from Jimoh in
2011, and by the time he went there in 2018, he discovered that the
land had been fenced. Upon visiting the site with the lawyer, he
(Barrister Jimoh) denied having knowledge of the person who erected
the fence.
Shittu, a Principal Detective Superintendent of the EFCC said
“My Lord, our investigations reveal that one Titiayo George bought
the land in 2006. We invited her and she explained to us that she
bought the land from one Ojigiri Samuel who bought the land from
the defendant.”
Prosecuting counsel sought to tender the confessional statements
of the defendants to the EFCC during interrogation to which the
lead defence counsel V.O Aluko objected saying his client made the
statement under duress, harassment and intimidation.
Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case to Tuesday, July 16, 2019 for
trial within trial.
Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
July 15, 2019