Court sentences travel agent to 10 years imprisonment for scamming Muslim pilgrims out of N7.5m 

ARINZE NWAFOR, Lagos

An Ikeja High Court has sentenced a travel agent, Alhaji Sharafadeen Irorun to 10 years imprisonment for scamming Muslim pilgrims out of their money to the tune of N7.5 million.

Justice Oyindamola Ogala had on April 29, 2024, found Irorun guilty on four counts out of a 12-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and stealing brought against him by the Lagos State Government.

Ogala held that the prosecution had sufficiently established that the defendant and others still at large are a criminal group and convicted Irorun on Counts 1, 2, 5 and 6.

She said Irorun and others who are at large are a criminal group who unwittingly dispossessed innocent persons of their money under the pretext of helping them undergo the Hajj pilgrimage.

The judge convicted him on the provisions of section 312, 285 (9) (b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.

During sentencing, Ogala held that the convict obtained by false presence and stealing and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. She ordered that the convict’s prison term commence from June 6, 2022.

Earlier during the trial, the prosecution counsel, O. A. Azeez called three witnesses including one of the nominal complainants who contributed the money that the third prosecution witness (PW3), Alhaji Lukman Abdulkareem, gave to the defendant.

The judge found that the PW1 and PW2 had no direct involvement with the defendant but supported the evidence of the PW3 who was involved with the defendant and whose evidence she called “succinct and direct.”

She said, “It is also clear to the court that the evidence of PW1 and PW2 are fair, consistent to the case and indeed corroborate the evidence of the PW3.”

But the judge acquitted Irorun of the other eight counts in the charge against him after she stated that the prosecution had insufficient evidence to convict.

Justice Ogala said the PW3 told the court that 46 people including himself had contributed money and paid the sum of N7,500,000 to the defendant for the procurement of forms from the Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Board in 2014.

She said that PW2 gave evidence that he gave N800,000 to PW3 to help him pay for the Hajj pilgrimage for eight people after their original arrangement to secure seats failed.

She said that the PW3 told the court that he discovered he had been scammed after he requested officials to give him the bag gifts meant for the pilgrims and was told that their names were not on the list.

The PW3 told the court that he reported the incident to the police and they tracked down the defendant to his hometown residence in Osun State where they discovered other Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Board forms that were fake.

Ogala noted that the defendant’s counsel, S. M. Olatunji, told the court that the prosecution did not bring the Investigating Police Officer on the case to the court to give evidence.

She said Olatunji told the court that the defendant did not take money from the claimants.

The judge said that she had considered the evidence and held that the prosecution had established that the defendant was part of a criminal group that scams people out of their money under the pretext of pilgrimage.

She acquitted the convict on 8 counts of the charge and said the prosecution provided insufficient evidence for her to convict the defendant on them.