Pilot Law

EFCC reveals how Kwara lawyer swindles land owners in Ilorin

 

By Kayode Adeoti

The trial of a Legal Practitioner, Akeem Jimoh who was accused of defrauding many people commenced on Monday before Justice Mahmud AbdulGafar of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin with the prosecution calling two witnesses.
A key prosecution witness, Babatunde Shittu told the Judge, that the Commission received a petition from one Mr Chukudi sometimes in March 2019, alleging that the accused person defrauded him of about one point six million naira of his landed property.
“I gave him power of attorney to sell my land, Barrister Akeem Jimoh sold the land to various persons but he did not remit the money to the owner”
Shittu testified further that “The defendant stopped picking the complainant’s calls after this incident, upon his arrest, his family and friends put pressure on the complainant and he withdrew his petition ”
The witness while being led in evidence by the Procuting Counsel, Sessan Ola said ” The Commission received a transferred case file from Ibadan Zonal Office the EFCC where one Alhaji Saka Kareem claimed that he gave power of attorney to the defendant to sell twenty out of thirty five plots of his land situated at Tanke area in Ilorin, he sold the whole thirty five and diverted the money to his own personal use”
“Upon his family is intervention, the second petitioner also withdrew his petition that he was no longer interested in the case ”
The last petition came from the complainant in this case, one Ogunleye Dare Benjamin, he claimed he bought a plot of land from Lawyer Akeem Jimoh in 2011, He went there in 2018, to discover that the land had been fenced, he took the complainant to the scene, but he (Lawyer Akeem) denied having knowledge about the person who eracted the fence”
Shittu, A Principal Detective Superintendent further told Justice Abdulgafar ” My Lord, our investigations reveal that one Titiayo George bought the land in 2006, we invited her, She explain to us that she bought the land from one Ojigiri Samuel who bought the land from the defendant”
Prosecuting Counsel however sought to tender the statements made by the accused person to the operatives of the EFCC during interrogation where the embattled Legal Practitioner confessed to the crime.
Lead Counsel to the defence, V.O Aluko objected the admmissibility of the statements, insisting that his client made the statement under duress, harrassment and  intimidation.
Justice Abdulgafar adjourned the case till Tuesday 16th July 2019 for trial within trial and it was subsequently adjourned to today, (Thursday).

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