Court jails warder for extorting with Aregbesola’s phone

An Osun State High Court has sentenced a prison warder, Babatunde Ogunjobi, and his friend, Abdulgafar Yusuf, to 20 years imprisonment for using a phone stolen from Governor Rauf Aregbesola to extort money from his associates.

According to a statement from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, Justice Jide Falola on Friday convicted Ogunjobi, who is a warder at Ikoyi Prison, and his friend, Yusuf, on the three counts leveled against them.

It will be recalled that Aregbesola’s Sony Erricsson mobile phone was stolen from his pocket on November 27, 2010 during his inauguration after being declared the validly elected governor of the state by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The convicts were charged with  conspiracy, obtaining property by false pretence, stealing and impersonation, which according to  the prosecutor, are contrary to Sections  8c and 1 (3), Section 1 (1) (c)  and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, Sections  390 and  484 of Criminal Code Laws   Cap.34 laws of Osun State2002.

The court was told that the convicts used the stolen phone to extort money from Aregbesola’s associates before they were arrested.

They were said to have impersonated Aregbesola and demanded various sum of money from his associates.

One of the victims was said to have been asked to pay N200,000.00 to Diamond Bank account number owned by one of convicts.

Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran was also asked to deposit N500,000.00 into another account number with Intercontinental Bank and the monarch paid promptly.

The convicts were initially charged together with one Kelvin Ighodalo who was granted bail, but later jumped bail.

The statement reads in part, “The prosecution withdrew the case against Igahodado to be able to proceed against Ogunjobi and Yusuf. The charge against Ighodalo was struck out on 28th May 2012.

“However, Ighodalo was later arrested and was charged to court separately on a similar charge. He pleaded guilty to the charge and had been convicted and sentenced accordingly.

“The prosecution team from the Ministry of Justice, led by Mr. Dapo Adeniji, who appeared along with Mr. Biodun Badiora, called three witnesses and tendered some exhibits against Ogunjobi and his friend.“

Justice Falola convicted Ogunjobi and Yusuf on the three counts and sentenced them to 20 years imprisonment.

He sentenced them to 10 years imprisonment on count one, count two carried a penalty of seven years, while they were jailed three years for count three.

The jail term of 20 years would, however, run concurrently.