An Oyo State Magistrate Court sitting in Iwo Road on Thursday sentenced a 47-year- old civil servant in the State Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey, Mrs Funmi Salako, to two years imprisonment for duping a deaf and dumb man the sum of one million naira (1,000,000).
Salako, DAILY POST learnt had earlier beenarraigned on June 5, 2017, before Magistrate Taiwo Oladiran on a three-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence and stealing in a case number MI/76c/2017.Police prosecutor, Sunday Ogunremi, had told the court that Salako and others now at large had between the month of July to October 2014 at about 2 pm at Agodi Ibadan, did conspire together to defraud a deaf and dumb by collecting the sum of one million naira from him.He said on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned place, they did fraudulently obtain the sum of one million Naira (N1,000,000.00) from one deaf and dumb identified as Mr Musibau Ilori under the pretence of helping him buy two acres of lands along Oyo expressway.
Ogunremi said the defendant stole the sumof one million Naira (N1,000, 000.00) and converted it to her personal use.The prosecutor declared that the offence was in contrary to and punishable under Section 518 (6), 419 and section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Cap 38 Vol. II laws of Oyo state of Nigeria, 2000.Salako had pleaded guilty and was grantedbail in the sum of 100, 000.00 with two sureties.
After the hearing, the case was adjourned till June 14, 2018, for facts and sentencing.However, the defence counsel, Mrs Florence Badmus during the resumed hearing on Thursday, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that the defendant was the breadwinner of her family.Badmus claimed that the Salako had already refunded five hundred thousand naira out of the sum.But the Magistrate Oladiran after listening to the facts of the matter on Thursday told the defendant that she is heartless and didn’t consider the condition of the complainant who is physically challenged.
Oladiran then sentenced her to two years imprisonment with an option of N60,000 (sixty thousand naira).
