An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a man, Bethel Onyedikachi Ukachukwu, to two years imprisonment for defrauding a resident of ₦500,000 under the false pretext of securing a Nigeria Customs Service auction vehicle.
The conviction followed his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence.
A statement by the EFCC said Justice Lekan Ogunmoye delivered the judgment after Ukachukwu pleaded guilty to an amended three-count charge filed by the Commission’s Ekiti Zonal Directorate.
According to the anti-graft agency, the convict falsely presented himself as a Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army and collected ₦500,000 from Mr. Kayode Aina on the promise of purchasing a Nigeria Customs Service auction vehicle on his behalf.
The EFCC said the defendant neither delivered the vehicle nor refunded the money until the matter was reported and investigated.
One of the charges alleged that Ukachukwu fraudulently obtained ₦500,000 from the victim on April 15, 2026, under the false claim that he would use the money to bid for an auction vehicle through the Nigeria Customs Service.
Another count accused him of dishonestly converting the ₦500,000 entrusted to him for the purchase of the vehicle to his personal use, contrary to the Criminal Law of Ekiti State.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Saidu Yusuf, presented the Commission’s first witness, Emmanuel Onuminya, and tendered documentary exhibits before urging the court to convict the defendant.
Counsel to the defendant, T.A. Salami, appealed for leniency, informing the court that his client was remorseful and had refunded the victim’s money.
In his judgment, Justice Ogunmoye sentenced Ukachukwu to two years imprisonment with an option of a ₦150,000 fine.
The court also ordered that the convict be remanded at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre.
