By Michael Ofulue, Osogbo
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A 25-year-old man, Abdulgafar Ayanrinde, who impersonated as a lawyer to dupe innocent people in Osogbo area, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment by an Osogbo Magistrates’ Court.
Magistrate M.A. Olatunji, found Ayanrinde guilty of the charges and convicted him accordingly.
The defendant was dragged before the Court by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state and slammed with a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and fraud.
He was said to have impersonated a legal practitioner and also duped a Point of Sales(POS) operator.
When Ayanrinde was arrested and paraded by the NSCDC in Osogbo recently, he revealed that he ventured into criminal acts to spite his father, whom he claimed is a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in Ibadan, Oyo State.
He had disclosed that he was a 200-level student in the Faculty of Law in a university. But that he dropped out because of lack of money.
He also confessed to have paraded himself as SAN and deceived unsuspecting litigants into hiring him.
The NSCDC prosecuting counsel, T. J. Ayayi, had informed the court upon arraignment, that Ayarinde paraded himself as a lawyer at the premises of the Osun State High Court on May 22, 2023 and also defrauded a female PoS agent of the sum of N150,000 at INEC Area, Osogbo on May 18, this year.
He also confessed to stealing an iPhone worth N450,000.
Ayanrinde also had pleaded guilty to all the allegations before the court, while he had no legal representation.
The prosecutor had urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable him prepare for the presentation of facts in lieu of the defendant’s guilty plea.
The presiding magistrate, M. A. Olatunji had adjourned for presentation of facts.
When the matter was mentioned for presentation of facts, the Corps prosecuting counsel proved to the court that the defendant specialized in fraud, impersonation, stealing and obtaining money under false pretence.
Delivering her judgement, Olatunji sentenced Ayanrinde to three years imprisonment on first count charge and another three years on the second charge.
The magistrate further ordered the transfer of the sum of N150,000, being part of the proceeds of the crime from the convict’s bank account to one of the victims, Adeoye Iyanu Seun’s account, while the Nigeria Correctional Service should provide facility and enabling environment for the academic advancement of the convict while in custody.
Reacting to the judgement in a statement issued on Wednesday by the corps spokesperson, Kehinde Adeleke, the state NSCDC Commandant, Sunday Agboola called on parents and guardians to cater for their children and wards adequately.
