Business
Court Jails Couple 14 Years Each for N67.6m Estate Fraud in Lagos
By Rotimi Aleshinloye
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, November 2, 2026, has convicted and sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odia, also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 14 years imprisonment each for selling a deceased estate property under false pretence to the tune of N67,659,592.
The court also ordered the convicts to make full restitution of the N67,659,592 to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa.
The couple were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence and forgery.
According to the charge, the defendants sometime in 2010, within the jurisdiction of the court, conspired and by false pretence and with intent to defraud, sold the property known as No. 19, Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute-Metta, Oyingbo, Lagos, for the sum of N16 million, falsely representing that they were authorized to sell the property by the bona fide beneficiaries of the Estate of the late Dr. Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa.
They pleaded not guilty at arraignment.
In the course of trial, the prosecution counsel, Fadeke Giwa, called three witnesses and tendered several documents to prove its case, while the defence called one witness.
In her judgment, Justice Dada held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and found both defendants guilty on three counts.
The judge sentenced the duo to three years imprisonment on count one for conspiracy, one year on count two for stealing, and 10 years imprisonment without an option of fine on count three for obtaining money by false pretence. The sentences are to run concurrently. They were, however, discharged and acquitted on count four bordering on forgery.
The judge further ordered that the sentence of the first defendant be suspended until he is apprehended.
The EFCC had alleged that sometime in 2010, the duo conspired and dishonestly stole the property belonging to the beneficiaries of the Estate of the late Dr. Odemuyiwa, contrary to Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The conviction was disclosed in a statement by the EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.