A Kaduna High Court on Tuesday sentenced an estate agent, Emmanuel Aaron, 42, to three years imprisonment for defrauding two accommodation seekers of N4.8 million.
Justice Dairus Khobo convicted Mr Aaron of the two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Kaduna branch.
He, however, gave him an option of a N300,000 fine.
Delivering his judgment, the judge said “The convict inflicted untold hardships on the victims, and callously deprived them of their hard-earned money with a false promise of accommodation.’’
He said the property which was used by the convict to perpetrate the fraud was actually owned by another person who had leased it to him from 2022 to 2025.
Mr Khobo ordered the convict to pay the sum of N4.8 million as restitution to the complainants, Esther Williams and Christian Frank.
He added that in the event the convict failed to pay, he shall serve an additional two years in prison.
Earlier, the EFCC Prosecutor, Precious Onyeneho, told the court that Mr Aaron committed the offences between July and November 2023.
He said the convict had collected the sum of N4.8 million from the complainants as tenancy and agreement fees.
The prosecutor said that when they wanted to move in, someone was already occupying the house, and efforts made to retrieve their money proved abortive.
The prosecutor stated that the offences contravened sections 213 and 322 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
NAN
