The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentence of Darlington Ogihonmwanghomwan before Justice A. Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna.

Ogihonmwanghomwan was prosecuted on a one-count charge of cheating to the tune of N1.2 million.

The charge reads: “That you, Darlington Ogihonmwanghomwan (while being the operator of Hale Bird Poultry Company), sometime in December 2023, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, cheated one Zainab Baloni by dishonestly inducing her to deliver to you the sum of N1.2 million, which was the property of the said Zainab Baloni, and that you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 306(a) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and punishable under Section 307 of the same Law.”

Ogihonmwanghomwan pleaded “guilty” when the charge was read to him. Following this, prosecution counsel M. U. Gadaka urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

Justice Isiaka sentenced Ogihonmwanghomwan to three years imprisonment or a fine of N100,000.

Ogihonmwanghomwan’s path to jail began in 2023 after a petition was submitted to the commission by his victim.

She alleged that she came into contact with the convict through his business account on Instagram.

In their conversations, he assured her that his company was a multi-billion naira agricultural firm involved in mass production of poultry and eggs, offering investors a five per cent return on investment every two days for 15 days in a month, with withdrawals allowed at any time.

After the victim paid him a total of N1.2 million, Ogihonmwanghomwan failed to fulfil his side of the agreement. Furthermore, all efforts by the victim to get him to refund the money proved abortive.