Court adjourns for adoption of final address in Femi Adesina’s impostor, suspected KWASU fraudster cases

Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, at a resumed sitting on pending cases on Wednesday adjourned till June 30, 2021 for adoption of written addresses in a fraud case involving a self-styled herbalist, Jamiu Isiaka, who allegedly impersonated the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina and a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, to defraud a South-Korean National, Keun Sig Kim, to the tune of N30million.

The judge also fixed July 8, 2021 for adoption of final written address by counsel in a case bordering on internet fraud involving one Atoyebi Ayodeji Blessing, a student of the Kwara State University, KWASU, Molete.

The two cases are being prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Count one of the charge against Jamiu reads: “That you, Jamiu Isiaka (a.k.a Femi Adesina) between the month of April and September 2018 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of  $88,521,041 (Eighty Eight Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty One Dollars, Forty-one cents) from a Korean National, Keun Sig Kim by false pretences that the monies was for the procurement of NNPC approval/marketing form and license certificate to buy crude oil in Nigeria, facts which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

When the case involving Jamiu was called today, his counsel, S .H Ishola, informed the court that his client was not ready for his defence and asked for an adjournment.

“My Lord, the defendant is here in court, but he informed me that he is not ready for his defence, I urge my Lord to oblige us another date,” he said.

Responding, counsel to EFCC, O. B Akinsola, reminded the court of its earlier ruling where the judge ordered that, “the case of the defence would be closed at the next adjourned date if he fails to open his defence at the next proceeding.”

Justice Abdulgafar in the circumstance said, “It is clear to this Honourable Court that the defendant is not interested to enter any defence. In view of this, the case of the defendant is hereby closed.”

Consequently, the judge adjourned for adoption of written address by both parties.

The defendant had at various times failed to open his defence or defend the allegation brought against him by the EFCC.

For Atoyebi, the judge adjourned for adoption of final address by counsel after the defence led by Dr. Joshua Olatoke, SAN, informed the court of the intention of the defendant to close its case after the DW1 was discharged from the witness box.

The count against him reads: “That you, Atoyebi Ayodeji Blessing (alias Sophia Bambi), sometime in January 2021 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court knowingly had in your possession some documents, in form of email chats, containing false pretence where you represented yourself to be one Sophia Bambi, a white female with gmail account: [email protected] who wanted to have paid sex with one Dalton Gilmore as it is contained in your gmail account: [email protected] and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 and punishable under Section 8 and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.”