A Lagos State Chief Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Magistrate T. O. Abayomi, has sentenced businessman Olanrewaju Adiyade to 18 months imprisonment for stealing N5.94 million. The conviction came after the court found Adiyade guilty of the charge.
Adiyade, who works in the oil and gas sector, was arraigned on charges of theft and obtaining money under false pretence. The charges were brought by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID) in Lagos, following a complaint by Chief Ramoni Onokoya, the victim of the crime.
The ForceCID argued that the businessman unlawfully converted the funds, an offence punishable under Sections 314 and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Prosecutor S. O. Ayodele presented two witnesses during the trial, including the complainant, Chief Onokoya, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Uche Benjamin, who investigated the case. Several exhibits were also tendered in court.
Despite pleading not guilty, Adiyade claimed he had received permission from Chief Onokoya to use the money for medical expenses following a life-threatening accident that landed him in the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. His counsel, C. U. Olayanju, argued that this was not theft but a misunderstanding.
However, Magistrate Abayomi found Adiyade guilty of theft, dismissing the charge of obtaining money under false pretence. In her ruling, she stated, "This is not a failed transaction but a clear case of unlawful conversion by the defendant."
Taking into account that Adiyade was a first-time offender, the court sentenced him to 18 months in prison. The sentence, however, was reduced to two months on the condition that he repays the outstanding N5.56 million to Chief Onokoya within two months.
Magistrate Abayomi emphasized that justice must be served, but also took into consideration mitigating factors in the sentencing.
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