Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, has convicted and sentenced 65-year-old Sulaiman Olayiwola Gbajabiamila to 20 years imprisonment with the option of a N2.7 million fine for a N31 million property fraud.

Gbajabiamila was first arraigned in 2022 before Chief Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun on charges bordering on stealing and false representation, offences punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. He was docked on a two-count charge for defrauding a United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Lateef Adeyemo, of N31 million.

According to the charge, Gbajabiamila, who presented himself as an estate agent in 2021, fraudulently collected and converted to his own use the money meant for the purchase of a two-bedroom flat for Adeyemo in Lagos Homes, Iponri, between September and October 2021.

The case suffered several adjournments. On three occasions, Gbajabiamila was unrepresented by counsel. At one point, he presented a N5 million draft but later retrieved it from Afuye, who had once represented him.

On September 19, 2023, the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned Gbajabiamila on a seven-count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining by false pretences, forgery, and retention of proceeds of crime.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, which led to a full trial. The prosecuting counsel, Abdulhamid Tukur, called two witnesses and tendered several documents, which were admitted into evidence against the defendant.

In delivering judgment, Justice Ijelu convicted and sentenced Gbajabiamila to five years imprisonment on count one (stealing), with the option of a N1 million fine; seven years on count two (obtaining by false pretences); two years each on counts three, four, and five (forgery), with the option of a N1 million fine on each count; two years on count six (using false documents), with the option of a N200,000 fine; and four years on count seven (retention of proceeds of crime), with the option of a N500,000 fine.

In his allocutus, defence counsel T.E. Gbado prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, citing his client’s remorse and status as a first-time offender.