July 7, 2022

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has convicted and sentenced one Bolarinwa Abiodun, a fake Army General to seven years in prison on a 13-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery of documents and possession of documents containing false pretence to the tune of N266,500,000.

In a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, the offences are contrary to Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006; Section 363 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 and Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act No 14 of 2006, respectively.

The defendant, who was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC posed as a General in the Nigerian Army was accused of making false representations to the complainant, Kodef Clearing Resources, that the President , Muhammadu Buhari, had short-listed him and one other to be appointed as the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and that he needed a short grant to “press and process the appointment.”

Abiodun, who was arrested at his house in the Alagbado area of Lagos State on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, was also accused of forging a letter of appointment as COAS purportedly signed by the President and showed the same to the victim to further prove his claim.