Son of Oba in Ogun sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in the UK over N864m fraud
A Nigerian lawyer and prince identified as Barrister Olanrewaju Bolaji Otukoya, has been imprisoned in the United Kingdom for fraud.
Otukoya, son of Oba J.B. Otukoya, Fiwagbade I, the Oligun of Ilugun, Ogun State, was said to have masterminded a £1.8 million (about N864 million) scam.
The 53-year-old, who was said to have initially skipped bail and fled the UK to Nigeria, was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment at the Old Bailey last Friday, October 12.
Reports say an operation led by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) revealed that Otukoya headed the Luton-based gang that committed fraud by intercepting cheques in the post that were intended for local businesses.
He failed to answer his police bail in July 2014 and absconded to Nigeria, but the UK authorities later traced him and obtained a letter of approval from a Nigerian court in April, 2018 to extradite him back to the country.
The prince was said to have been previously convicted for several cases of fraud.
He was said to have recruited two other members of the gang, Moshin Abbas and Anjam Shah, who were workers at a Royal Mail sorting office, to steal post containing cheques destined for local companies. The intercepted cheques were then paid into business bank accounts that were set up and controlled by Otukoya, using similar names as the target company.
During his trial, Otukoya pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud users of Royal Mail Postal Services.
Abbas and Shah had been sentenced in 2016 to four years and five years imprisonment respectively.
