A woman, Aishatu Abdullai has been sentenced to10 years imprisonment without the option of fine by a Lagos High Court over a fraudulent house scam. The presiding Judge, Justice Joseph Oyewole found the accused guilty in a 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretences preferred against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In addition, she was ordered to pay the sum of N10million as restitution to the victim, Alhaji Abdullai Musa Bashiru

 Aishatu, alias Fatima Abdulai Aboki, together with others still at large conspired to steal the original title document of a house at Park View Estate, Ikoyi belonging to one Major- General Aboki (rtd) and sold the property to the victim.

The victim, a businessman needed a landed property in Ikoyi, and got to know that the General’s house in Park View was on offer for sale. He gave power of attorney to his lawyer, to negotiate with the General’s ‘agents’; unknown to him that he had fallen prey to fraudsters.

The lawyer met and negotiated with Aisha and other members of her syndicate. According to the report, Aisha claimed to be the younger sister of the General who was said to be bedridden in Saudi Arabia hospital and had to sell the property to off- set his medical bills.

To convince the victim, she gave her name as Aishatu Aboki. With this false identity, coupled with the presentation of the original title document to the property, the Lawyer was convinced that he was making a genuine transaction on behalf of his client. They negotiated and he agreed to pay N75million. Promptly, a draft of N70million was raised and N5million cash were given to Aisha for the property. But soon after, the lawyer became suspicious and stopped the payment of the draft. However, Aisha and her gang still managed to convince the lawyer to part with another N5million, making the total amount collected from him as N10million. At the point of taking possession of the property, the fraudsters started a hide and seek game with the lawyer who did not find their antics funny. Along the line, the real owner of the House, General Aboki who all the while was hale and hearty, enjoying his retirement in his country home in Kaduna got wind of the fraud and rushed back to Lagos.

 He told the lawyer who paid money to the fraudsters that he didn’t know Aisha from Adam and that he was never ill and the house was not for sale. He claimed that the documents to the property were stolen from his lawyer sometime ago. At this point, it dawned on the lawyer and his client that they had been dealing with fraudsters. Consequently they petitioned EFCC and Aisha was arrested. She confessed that for the role she played in the scam, she was rewarded with the sum of N1.1m by the syndicate.

Femi Babafemi

Head, Media & Publicity

3/6/2009