Lagos court jails couple for N52m fraud, orders church closure

• Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Mojisola Dada found the couple guilty of charges including stealing, dishonest conversion, false representation, and fraud
  

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The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odemuyiwa, also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 16 years in prison for defrauding victims of N52 million.

Their church, the Temple International Church, was also ordered to be deregistered and closed for its involvement in the fraudulent activities.

Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Mojisola Dada found the couple guilty of charges including stealing, dishonest conversion, false representation, and fraud.

The prosecution, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), presented a seven-count charge against the defendants and the church.

The EFCC accused the couple of using religious activities to deceive and defraud unsuspecting individuals.

They were first arraigned on February 25, 2020, and pleaded not guilty, leading to a trial during which the prosecution called five witnesses, while the defence presented two.

In her ruling, Justice Dada declared that the EFCC had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Uyanwanne was sentenced to seven years in prison for counts two to six, while Odemuyiwa received three years for the same charges.

Both were also sentenced to three years for count one. On additional charges, Uyanwanne received 10 years, and Odemuyiwa was handed six years, with all sentences to run concurrently.

The court further directed the couple to pay restitution of N31 million to the complainant within 60 days and deregistered Temple International Church, citing its misuse of religion to defraud people.

Justice Dada criticised the misuse of faith, stating, “The third convict should be deregistered and closed down.”

The EFCC highlighted the couple’s fraudulent activities, including dishonestly converting N10 million belonging to the late Janet Adeola Odemuyiwa and selling a property in Magodo under false pretenses. The acts were found to violate sections of the Advance Fee Fraud and Criminal Law of Lagos State.