Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja special offenses court on Thursday, July 7, sentenced a fake army general, Bolarinwa Abiodun, whose real name is Hassan Ayinde, to seven years in imprisonment for impersonation and N266.5 million fraud.
Abiodun disguised as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to carry out the N266.5 million fraud.
Abiodun pleaded guilty to an amended 13-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretense and forgery after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) re-arraigned him on Thursday.
Delivering judgment, the presiding judge sentenced Abiodun without an option of fine following his guilty plea.
“The defendant portrayed himself to be an army general who forged the signatures of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and current President Muhammadu Buhari in defrauding and obtaining by false pretense to the victim.
He so perfected the scam by the level of his education that one wonders whether such individual should be allowed to walk scot free. It is so sad that people like this have given our dear country a bad name.
I hereby sentence you, Bolarinwa Abiodun, to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.
The convict should pay the victim N20m and his First Bank account with number 3050622693 used in carrying out the fraud be closed. He is to also to forfeit a building at No 1 Joke Ayo Street, Alagbado.
His four vehicles, black Range Rover, black BMW car, black Toyota Land Cruiser and white Toyota Hilux with Reg No, Lagos KTU 985 ET, which were recovered from him be forfeited.”
The EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, submitted that he forged the signatures of Obasanjo and President Buhari in defrauding his victim of N266.5m.
The prosecution added that the convict forged a letter of appointment as the COAS dated May 20, 2020, with ID number 387140 and said the document emanated from the presidency.