A 46-year-old herder, Amuda Usman, Monday prayed the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun state, to consider his three wives and 14 children in sentencing him for the offence of advance fee fraud he was convicted for.
The convict who was said to have defrauded one Dr. Afolabi Babatunde of 45 cows that valued N4.5million, appealed to the court to be lenient in sentencing him because of his 17 dependents.
The state prosecutor, Mr. Muyiwa Ogunleye, told the court that the convict agreed to be rearing cows for the victim and he breached the contract by selling the cows without informing the owner.
Giving evidence before the court, the victim, Babatunde, said the convict lied that 30 cows died and no traces of the carcass was found.
He said the convict had paid N500,000 at the police station and promised to pay N4million balance which he failed to do.
The victim told the court that the convict stood with his two houses at Erin-Osun in Irepodun local government of the state to get police bail, but refused to pay the money.
The Investigative Police Officer, Asifat Akanbi, who also testified before the court, said there was no traces of the dead cows as claimed by the convict.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu, noted that the convict had confessed in a statement he made to the committee on Fulani/Bororo matters, set up by Hon. Mudashiru Toogun, that he sold 15 cows and failed to remit the money to the owner.
Justice Lifu also queried why the convict failed to inform the owner if truly the cows died, and concluded that he deliberately duped the owner of the cows.
The Judge thereby sentenced the herder to three years imprisonment starting from November 5, 2020 when he has been in prison, and ordered him to restitute the sum of N4million, being the balance of the cows, to the owner.
