YOLA COURT SENTENCES MAN TO 9 YRS IN PRISON FOR CHEATING PRAYER PARTNER #7.8MILLION

A middle age man, Dominic David Chama of Luggere in Yola, Adamawa state has been convicted and sentenced to 9 yrs in prison for cheating his prayer partner the sum of N7.8million.

Dominic was jailed 7 years for cheating and 2 years for impersonation with an option of N200, 000 and N150, 000 respectively and was discharged and acquitted for the offence of defamation of character.

Likewise, he was ordered to pay the sum of N6.947 million compensation to one Onubiyi Augustine, of Jambutu in Yola North Local Government Area, whom he cheated.

The sentences, according to the court, are to run concurrently.

Hon. Aliyu Bello of the Upper Area Court 1 sitting in Yola, convicted and sentenced the 32 year old man after he was tried and found to have committed the offences.

He was charged before the court for impersonation, cheating and defamation of character contrary to sections 145, 312 and 377 of the Adamawa State Penal Code law, 2018.

Dominic paraded himself as Personal Assistant (PA) to one Professor Geofrey Barminas Sware, the Director General (DG) National Institution for Chemical Technology, Zaria, in Kaduna state sometimes in 2018, and cheated Onubiyi.

The convict and the complainant worship in the same church, Christ Miracle Church Mission (CMCM) in Jimeta Yola, and it was there that they established rapport and became prayer partners.

NEWS PLATFORM learnt that there was a time that Onubiyi assisted the convict with the sum of N200,000 to treat his mother who was hospitalised, and that since then, he took the advantage of the gesture and started planning on how to defraud him.

To perpetuate the crime, he registered a sim card after  Professor Barminas, and called his victim where he pretended to be the Professor and told him that he will send Central Bank of Nigeria's form for him to fill.

After the phone call, Domimic met Onubiyi with the form and told him it was the Professor that sent him with the form for him to fill after which he asked him to deposit money in 2 accounts provided on the forms.

He went on calling him with the number he registered after the Professor where he urged him to continue to deposit money which later amounted to N7.8million with the expectation of proceeds on the amount deposited.

Later on, Onubiyi, became suspicious with the transaction and narrated his ordeal to his auntie who in turn contacted the Professor on the matter.

But to their surprise, the Professor denied knowledge of the transaction after which they reported the matter at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police headquarters, hence the arrest of the convict.

During trial, the prosecutor, Inspector Zakka Musa, called witnesses who testified in court and closed his case.

But when asked to enter his defence, the convict maintained his earlier guilt plea and chose not to enter defence; hence, the conviction and sentence.