Fake Custom Officer Jailed 20years For Employment Scam In Kwara

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, yesterday, sentenced
a self-styled custom officer, Mr. Yakubu Azeez Afolayan, to 20
years imprisonment for impersonation and job scam.

The convict was allegedly parading himself as a custom officer
and fraudulently swindled a number of unsuspecting job seekers
under the guise of helping them secure employment into the Nigerian
Customs Service (NCS), before the long arm of law caught up with
him.

The 34 year-old Yakubu, who hailed from Share in Ifelodun Local
Government Area of the state, was arraigned on March 14, 2019, on
four-count charges by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

One of the charges reads: “That you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan,
between the months of November 2018 and January 2019 in Ilorin,
within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with the intent
to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N267,000 (Two Hundred and
Sixty-seven Thousand Naira) only from one Usman Janet Opeyemi
through your UBA account number under the false presence that you
are capable of securing employment for her son with the NCS; the
representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and
other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section
1 (3) of the same Act.”

But Yakubu pleaded not guilty to the counts thereby setting
stage for full trial.

In the course of the trial, which lasted for over two years, the
prosecution called four witnesses including one of his victims; an
officer from the NCS and the investigating officer who is an
operative of the EFCC.

Documents were tendered by the prosecution through the witnesses
and admitted in evidence by the court.

In a well-considered judgment yesterday, Justice Mahhood
Abdulgafar, opined that from the totality of the evidence placed
before the court, the prosecution had proved its case beyond
reasonable doubt and linked the accused person to the crime.

“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 NCS does not sell its
recruitment forms to job applicants, but the defendant was
collecting various sums 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 accounts of the defendant are additional
evidence in this case. The statements showed how monies were
deposited into his account domiciled with the UBA by several job
seekers.

“It is the opinion of this honourable court that the case of the
prosecution has merit,” the judge ruled.

But Yakubu’s Counsel, S. O Ishola, urged the court to temper
justice with mercy saying that “the convict is a first time
offender.”

Responding, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Andrew Akoja, drew the
attention of the court to Section 1(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee
Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, which prescribed
maximum of seven years imprisonment for the offence for which the
defendant was charged on count 1 and 2.

Akoja further told the court to consider Section 386 of the
Penal Code Law, which prescribed maximum of three years
imprisonment for the offences on counts three and four.

Consequently, Justice Abdulgafar said there was nothing the
court could do than to follow the provisions of the law in
sentencing the convict.

“I hereby sentence you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan to seven years
imprisonment on count 1; seven years imprisonment on count two;
three years imprisonment on count three and three years
imprisonment on count four, to run concurrently,” the judge ruled,
adding that “the convict is to spend his custodial sentence at
Mandala Correctional Centre with effect from November 14, 2019”, he
added.

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, yesterday, sentenced
a self-styled custom officer, Mr. Yakubu Azeez Afolayan, to 20
years imprisonment for impersonation and job scam.

The convict was allegedly parading himself as a custom officer
and fraudulently swindled a number of unsuspecting job seekers
under the guise of helping them secure employment into the Nigerian
Customs Service (NCS), before the long arm of law caught up with
him.

The 34 year-old Yakubu, who hailed from Share in Ifelodun Local
Government Area of the state, was arraigned on March 14, 2019, on
four-count charges by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

One of the charges reads: “That you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan,
between the months of November 2018 and January 2019 in Ilorin,
within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with the intent
to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N267,000 (Two Hundred and
Sixty-seven Thousand Naira) only from one Usman Janet Opeyemi
through your UBA account number under the false presence that you
are capable of securing employment for her son with the NCS; the
representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and
other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section
1 (3) of the same Act.”

But Yakubu pleaded not guilty to the counts thereby setting
stage for full trial.

In the course of the trial, which lasted for over two years, the
prosecution called four witnesses including one of his victims; an
officer from the NCS and the investigating officer who is an
operative of the EFCC.

Documents were tendered by the prosecution through the witnesses
and admitted in evidence by the court.

In a well-considered judgment yesterday, Justice Mahhood
Abdulgafar, opined that from the totality of the evidence placed
before the court, the prosecution had proved its case beyond
reasonable doubt and linked the accused person to the crime.

“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 NCS does not sell its
recruitment forms to job applicants, but the defendant was
collecting various sums 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 accounts of the defendant are additional
evidence in this case. The statements showed how monies were
deposited into his account domiciled with the UBA by several job
seekers.

“It is the opinion of this honourable court that the case of the
prosecution has merit,” the judge ruled.

But Yakubu’s Counsel, S. O Ishola, urged the court to temper
justice with mercy saying that “the convict is a first time
offender.”

Responding, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Andrew Akoja, drew the
attention of the court to Section 1(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee
Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, which prescribed
maximum of seven years imprisonment for the offence for which the
defendant was charged on count 1 and 2.

Akoja further told the court to consider Section 386 of the
Penal Code Law, which prescribed maximum of three years
imprisonment for the offences on counts three and four.

Consequently, Justice Abdulgafar said there was nothing the
court could do than to follow the provisions of the law in
sentencing the convict.

“I hereby sentence you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan to seven years
imprisonment on count 1; seven years imprisonment on count two;
three years imprisonment on count three and three years
imprisonment on count four, to run concurrently,” the judge ruled,
adding that “the convict is to spend his custodial sentence at
Mandala Correctional Centre with effect from November 14, 2019”, he
added.