Kolawole Erinle: Appeal court affirms sentence for ex-convict over $1.4m fraud – Newstrends
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Kolawole Erinle: Appeal court affirms sentence for ex-convict over $1.4m fraud

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Kolawole Erinle

Kolawole Erinle: Appeal court affirms sentence for ex-convict over $1.4m fraud

The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, has upheld the conviction and 12-year prison sentence of businessman Kolawole Erinle for his involvement in a $1.4 million fraud.

In a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale, the court’s decision affirmed the earlier judgment delivered by Justice Mojisola Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on September 26, 2023.

Erinle and his company, Rinde-Remdex Nigeria Limited, were convicted on charges of conspiracy, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, and obtaining money under false pretence.

The EFCC had alleged that Erinle conspired with an accomplice, Edward Dada, who is still at large, to impersonate J.E. Dunn, a U.S.-based construction company, by creating a fake domain, jedunn.org, to defraud the company of $1.4 million.

According to one of the charges, “Kolawole Adedayo Erinle and Edward Dada (still at large), sometime in 2019 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to falsely represent yourselves as J.E. Dunn, a local construction company in America, with intent to gain monetary advantage in the sum of $1,410,000 (One Million Four-Hundred and Ten Thousand United States Dollars) by creating a fake domain name jedunn.org and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No 14, 2006.”

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Initially arraigned on March 11, 2022, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, Erinle’s trial was reassigned to Justice Oshodi following Justice Taiwo’s retirement.

During the trial, the EFCC, represented by counsel T.J. Banjo, presented four witnesses and submitted documentary evidence, including proof of Erinle’s previous conviction for fraud in the United States, where he served 23 months in prison.

In his defense, Erinle denied the allegations but admitted under cross-examination to his U.S. conviction and expressed remorse, saying, “I am sorry.”

Justice Oshodi sentenced Erinle to five years on one count and 12 years on another, with the sentences to run concurrently from February 10, 2023, when his bail was revoked. His company was fined ₦50 million, ordered to be wound up, and its proceeds forfeited to the federal government.

The court further directed that all properties and vehicles recovered from Erinle be sold, with the proceeds used to restitute the victim through the FBI.

Erinle’s counsel, Lawal Pedro (SAN), appealed the conviction, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, describing it as lacking merit.

EFCC counsel T.J. Banjo argued that the trial court’s judgment was well-grounded, and Justice Danlami Zama Senchi, delivering the lead judgment on behalf of the three-man panel, held that the prosecution effectively proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.

 

Kolawole Erinle: Appeal court affirms sentence for ex-convict over $1.4m fraud

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Islamic group postpones launch of Sharia court in Oyo

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Islamic group postpones launch of Sharia court in Oyo

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria has announced the indefinite postponement of the inauguration of a Sharia Court of Law in Oyo State following widespread online criticism.

In a statement released on Tuesday by Imam Daud Igi Ogun, the Khadimul Muslimeen of Oyo Kingdom, the Islamic group confirmed that the event, initially scheduled for January 11, 2025, would no longer hold as planned.

The proposed establishment of the Sharia court had sparked significant outrage on social media, with many Nigerians expressing concerns over its implications in a multi-religious and culturally diverse state like Oyo.

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The group said, “On behalf of the Oyo Muslim indigenes, this is to inform the general public that the inauguration ceremony of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (Oyo branch) previously scheduled for January 11th, 2025, at the Muslim Community Islamic Center, Oba Adeyemi High School Road, Mobolaje Area, Agbongangan, Oyo, has been suspended until further notice. Islam portrays peace!”

Recall that the group’s flier announcing the launch of the court in Oyo state had gone viral causing an outrage among Nigerians especially those from the South region you argued that the same measure used in the North cannot be adopted there.

According to the flier, the court was expected to launch on January 11, 2025, at the Muslim Community Islamic Centre, Oba Adeyemi High School Road, Mobolaje Area, Oyo.

Islamic group postpones launch of Sharia court in Oyo

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Lagos council to rename road after Seyi Tinubu

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Seyi Tinubu

Lagos council to rename road after Seyi Tinubu

The Oshodi-Isolo Local Government is set to rename Liverpool Road in Oshodi-Isolo after Seyi Tinubu, the son of Mr. President Bola Tinubu.

Chairman of the council, Kehinde Oloyede, explained that the decision was “borne out of his immense contributions to youth and community development.

According to Oloyode, in a statement shared on the LG’s X handle by his media aid, “All is now set for the renaming of Liverpool Road in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government after the son of Nigeria’s President, Amb. Seyi Tinubu.”

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When contacted to confirm the claim, one of media aides to the Chairman of Oshodi –Isolo council said, The road, which is strategic to Oshodi and one of the major roads linking Oshodi/Apapa Expressway and connecting the international airport, “would soon be commissioned and renamed in Seyi Tinubu’s honour at a date to be announced.”

Oloyode, claimed “The road was a lion’s den, as no one could dare pass it either during the day or at night.”

He, however, noted that upon his assumption of office, the criminal elements, who had been using the road as a hideout before its reconstruction were all chased away.

 

Lagos council to rename road after Seyi Tinubu

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I stole from hospital because of hunger — Suspected cultist

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I stole from hospital because of hunger — Suspected cultist

A 25-year-old alleged cultist, Borokini Ayodeji, has said that he resorted to stealing because of hunger and a lack of support from family members.

Ayodeji, who was arrested and paraded by the Ondo State security outfit codenamed Amotekun, in Akure, lamented that he was abandoned hence he ventured into stealing to survive.

In an interview, the suspect confessed to being a member of the Eiye confraternity.

He admitted stealing from a government general hospital in Akure, the state capital out of hunger.
Th suspect who said that he was a trained tailor, noted that he resorted to stealing because of poverty and lack of support to establish his craft.

Also paraded was a 16 year old secondary school student in Akure, (names witheld) who confessed to raping a 24 year old neighbour at knifepoint.

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According to his statement, the crime was unprovoked, and he expressed remorse for his actions.
In an interview, the suspect said: “I don’t know what came over me. I regret my actions.”

Parading the suspects, the state commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, said that 29 suspects, with seven others currently under interrogation, were arrested for various offences ranging from rape and burglary to attempted murder.

Adeleye said that the arrests were the result of intensified patrols and intelligence gathering across the state.

He assured residents of the Corps’ commitment to maintaining peace and curbing criminal activities, particularly during the festive season.

He said: “Among these, a notorious member of a vehicle and motorcycle theft syndicate, known for disassembling stolen vehicles and selling them as scrap outside the state, was apprehended.
“The operatives also arrested a serial house breaker who had been jailed twice in the last three years.

“Shockingly, he resumed burglary activities within two weeks of his release from the prison.”
He said that to ensure safety during the yuletide season, 1,200 personnel had been deployed across the 18 local government areas of the state, supported by regular patrols and show-of-force exercises.

 

I stole from hospital because of hunger — Suspected cultist

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