419: Land scammer bags seven years in prison  EFCC Press Release   Wed Jan 4,2012

Lamorde: EFCC bos

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced Abdulkadir Ntiem who  was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to  seven years imprisonment for defrauding one Mark Anthony Ugochukwu to the  tune of N4.5 million (four million, five hundred thousand naira). Ntiem was arraigned on March 2, 2011, with a five count charge before Justice  Balkisu Bello Aliyu.

According to the prosecution counsel, Fatsuma Mohammed, Ntiem’s ordeal followed a petition to the EFCC by Ugochukwu where he alleged that Ntiem  told him he has a land at plot 1127B11 located at Kaura District, Abuja  for sale.

Ntiem told Ugochukwu that he was working with the Federal Capital  Development Authority, FCDA. He produced his supposed FCDA identification  card and even took him to FCDA where he showed him a table which he  claimed was his. It was after all these that he offered Ugochukwu a forged  statutory offer letter. Convinced that Ntiem was a staff of the FCDA,   Ugochukwu started paying the agreed sum of N8 million for the land.

Ugochukwu gave Ntiem, the sum of N5.5 million as advance payment but at  the end of the day, he neither saw the land nor was he refunded his money.  All efforts to reach Ntiem on phone proved abortive as his GSM lines were  also switched off.

In the course of investigation, the EFCC sought from Abuja Geographical  Information Service, AGIS, and FCDA authorities the staff status of Ntiem,  but both agencies denied having him as a staff.

The accused had told the court that the offer letter he gave to the  complainant was not forged and that the land existed. “It was the surveyor  who identify the land using a G.P.S which is an instrument used by  surveyors to locate particular area of land. I got the plot No. 1127 at  Kaura District. We agreed on N8 million as the cost of the plot”, he told  the court during cross examination. He however admitted that he collected  the sum of N4.5 from the complainant.

After listening to the prosecution and the defence counsel, the judge  ruled that it was her view that the prosecution has proved the case of  obtaining by false pretence the sum of N4.5 million against the accused  person, purporting to be part payment for the purchase of a parcel of land  within Kaura District in Abuja which the accused knew is false; contrary  to Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences  Act 2006 punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

The Judge said that Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act has provided  for the minimum sentence of seven years without an option of fine. “Though  I have considered the plea of counsel to the accused, by those provisions  I cannot give lesser than seven years. Therefore, the convict is sentenced  to seven years imprisonment for offence of obtaining money by false  pretense contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud  Offences Act 2006”.

The term of imprisonment will however commence from March 29, 2011 when  accused was first remanded in prison custody. “I hope the accused will learn from this experience and find a legal means of subsistence instead  of crime of deceit”.  

The judge also ordered the convict to pay Mark Anthony Ugochukwu the sum  of N4. 5 million (Four Million Five hundred thousand naira) which is the  proceed of the crime.