On Wednesday, a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court sentenced Olalekan Yusuf, a 40-year-old travel agent, to 18 months in prison for committing N4.2 million visa fraud.
Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel issued the sentence after Yusuf pleaded guilty and requested leniency. The court offered an alternative of a N200,000 fine and mandated Yusuf to repay N4.1 million to the complainants, Sarah Thomas and Christian Gabriel.
Magistrate Emmanuel also decreed that failure to make the restitution would result in an additional one-year prison term.
Yusuf, residing in Malali, Kaduna, was on trial for fraud. The prosecutor informed the court that the case was reported at the Gabasawa Police Station in Kaduna on June 16.
The prosecutor stated that in January 2024, Yusuf collected N2.1 million from each complainant, under the pretense of being able to secure travel visas to the United States and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“The defendant approached the complainants claiming he was a travel agent when he heard that they needed an agent to help them process U.S. and Dubai visas. After collecting the money from the complainants, he absconded to an unknown destination. Efforts made by the complainants to get the visa or retrieve their money from the defendant proved unsuccessful as the defendant refused to pick calls from the complainants’ cell phones,” Leo said.
He added that the defendant was arrested on June 16, at his house after the complainants got his address from his friend.
The prosecutor said that the offences violated the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.
