Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja- Lagos, on Thursday, October 18, 2012, sentenced Liasu Niass Chiekh Assane aka Novial Pharmacy, 22, to three months imprisonment for obtaining money by false pretence, contrary to section 1(3) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.

Assane who hails from Umuahia, Abia State, was said to have fraudulently obtained the sum of $3,420 from Takehiko Arima, a Japanese national, by falsely presenting to him through his website, Ali Baba, that he had Dosimeter products for sale. Arima indicated interest in the product and forwarded an initial payment of $3,420 to Assane through Keystone Bank but unknown to him, it was all deceit and a way to swindle him of his money.

Assane who was arrested by the EFCC and arraigned on a one count charge, but later changed his non guilty plea to guilty under a plea bargaining arrangement after fully restituting to the victim the total sum of $3420.
Justice Onigbanjo sentenced Assane to three months in imprisonment as deterrence to other fraudsters and would-be fraudsters. He is also to undertake to be of good behavior upon serving his prison sentence.

In a related development, Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Lagos State High Court sentenced Isiyaku Gida and G. Kinsgold Global Investment Company Limited who were arraigned on a five count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and uttering of forged documents. They were convicted and sentenced to three months imprisonment effective October 15, 2012 while the company was fined the sum of N3,000 (three thousand naira) on the grounds that the convicts had fully and finally restituted the victims.

Gida's journey to prison began when he obtained the sum of N3,904,622.42 from one Mohammed Tijani Galandenci and the sum of N4,256,338.38 from one Chimaobi Onwnke by falsely pretending to them that he was a stockbroker and runs a stock broking firm, G. Kinsgold Investment Company even when he knew it was false.

After receiving money from Galandenci and Onwnke, Gida never bought shares/stocks for the duo nor did he return their money to them. However, after he was charged to court by the Commission, Gida subsequently purchased the shares and stocks and presented same to the petitioners which they accepted. The petitioners afterward wrote the Commission that Gida be allowed to do a plea bargain. Justice Abiru sentenced Gida to three months imprisonment effective from October 15, 2012 and fined the company, N3000.

Wilson Uwujaren
Ag. Head, Media and Publicity

October 18, 2012