Lagos court convicts Agripreneur over N47.6m fraud
An Ikeja Special Offences Court, in Lagos, on Monday, convicted an agripreneur, Blessing Adanu, in absentia for committing N47.6m.
The convict, who ran ‘Emerald Multipurpose Cooperative Society’, had swindled her victims of various sums of money. She committed the fraud on the pretext that she would supply agricultural produce to the victims. But she defaulted, and she failed to recompense her victims either.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) waded in, charging Adanu with two counts of stealing and obtaining money by false pretences.
The trial judge, Mojisola Dada, convicted Adanu on the two counts. Dada dismissed Adanu counsel’s argument that it was a contractual dispute.
Ruling, the judge said, “As noted by the prosecution, most economic and financial crimes arose from transactions that had a semblance of contractual transactions.”
She added, “But along the line, a lot of factors came in to derail the smooth sail when the heart of man begins to dialogue with the devil to outsmart another person and he succumbs to it.
“The defendant’s oral testimony in court that the agribusiness was affected by flooding and Fulani herdsmen attack was an afterthought. She wanted to be living big at the expense of other people without counting the cost.
“Although the defendant seems to have absconded, having jumped bail graciously granted her by this court, the truth is that she cannot run away from justice.”
Justice Dada said that Adanu would be sentenced upon her arrest.
