A 25-year-old man named AbdulGafar Ayanrinde, who was apprehended for falsely presenting himself as a lawyer, has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kehinde Adeleke, Ayanrinde committed the offenses between May 18th and May 22nd, 2023. He was subsequently arrested by NSCDC operatives on May 24th.
Adeleke further revealed that Ayanrinde posed as a barrister at law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, deceiving five unsuspecting members of the public and stealing an iPhone worth ₦450,000.00.
During the trial, Ayanrinde pleaded guilty to two counts, which included impersonation of a legal practitioner (contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34, Laws of Osun State) and obtaining money under false pretenses (contrary to Section 419 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34, Laws of Osun State).
After confessing to the crimes, Magistrate M.A. Olatunji declared Ayanrinde guilty and sentenced him to three years imprisonment for each count. The magistrate ordered that the sentences should run concurrently and directed the transfer of the sum of N150,000, which was the proceeds of the crime, from the convict’s account to the victim’s account.
