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The Osun Government says reports over the theft and court sentence regarding Gov. Rauf Aregbesola’s phone were sensationalised.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that an Osogbo High Court
had on Monday April 29 convicted one Kelvin Ighodalo for stealing the
governor’s phone.
Reacting to the sentence through a statement by Adewale Afolabi, the
state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the government
described the reports as over sensationalised by the media.
Although, Afolabi did not accuse any particular medium, he stressed
the need to put the record straight and to educate the public on the
facts in the case and the application of the law.
“Kelvin, from the investigation carried out by the State Security
Services and presented before the court, is a dismissed police officer,
who had earlier on been in prison for six years for a murder charge.
“He has subsequently served prison terms for receiving stolen goods
in 2010 and while in prison, he was obviously working in conjunction
with a syndicate.
“Members of the syndicate, who are still under investigation,
arranged the stealing of the mobile phone of Gov. Rauf Aregbesola and
before the SIM card was blocked, the syndicate impersonated the owner.
“They defrauded many close associates of Aregbesola. One Abdulgafar
Yusuf was caught by security agents while trying to withdraw money paid
into his bank account by two of their victims,” the statement read in
part.
The commissioner also recalled that Mr Shenge Rahaman and Oba
Adekunle Aromolaran had earlier on been defrauded of almost a million
naira, while other numerous victims had fallen to their pranks.
The Attorney-General said that Kelvin was later arrested and charged
to the court alongside his arrested accomplices; namely Ogunjobi
Babatunde (a prison officer) and Abdulgafar Yusuf (the prison officer’s
brother).
Mr. Afolabi said the accused were charged to court on a- six-count
charge of conspiracy to obtain money under false pretence, obtaining
money under false pretence, stealing and impersonation.
“Although Ighodalo was granted bail by the Court, he jumped bail and
attempted committing similar offence with another person’s GSM number
but was caught in the process.
“He was later arraigned on the six-count charge and he pleaded
guilty to all the six counts. The first three counts carry twenty years
maximum term with no option of fine,” he noted.
Mr. Afolabi clarified that whoever committed this offence under
Subsection (1) or (2) is liable on conviction to imprisonment for not
more than twenty years and not less than seven years without an option
of a fine.
The commissioner further recalled, however, that the Judge, while
sentencing Ighodalo, exercised his discretion within the limited space
allowed by law to sentence him to 10 years term on each of the first
three counts.
“To say that Ighodalo was sentenced to 45 years prison term for
stealing Aregbesola’s phone is not only misleading but unduly
sensationalised, unfair to the court and the entire criminal justice
system.
“I will only advise that Nigerians should refrain from trivialising
or playing politics with serious financial crime more so when other
members of the syndicate are still at large and any member of the public
may fall their victim.
“Financial crime must be confronted frontally no matter who the
victim or the culprit is to have an economically prosperous, sane and
safe society,” he added.
