Marketer gets 10 years jail sentence for fraud

Etim Ekpimah

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Monday 27th September, 2021 secured the conviction of one Kehinde Aliyu Odeniyi before Justice Kabir Dabo of the Kaduna State High Court sitting in Zaria on a two-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation.

Odeniyi, a marketer with a private company, was prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC following an investigation that he diverted N 3, 500,000.00 (Three Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira), property of the company where he works, for personal use.

He also allegedly collected goods from the company for distribution to customers but sold the goods and diverted the money.

Count one of the charges reads: “That you Kehinde Aliyu Odeniyi “m” while being the marketer with D-one Global Ventures Nigeria Limited, on or about October 2019 at Zaria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did dishonestly misappropriated a total sum of N 3, 219, 595.00 (Three Million, Two Hundred and Nineteen Thousand Five Hundred and Ninety-five Naira) property of D-one Global Ventures Nigeria Limited and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 293 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 294 of the same Law”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, prompting the prosecution counsel, Jamil Musa to ask the court to convict him accordingly.

Justice Dabo convicted and sentenced the defendant to 10 years imprisonment with an option of a fine of N100, 000 on each count. He is also to refund the nominal complainant the sum of N2,000,000.00 in 2 years.