A certain Eugene Okpala – 62-year old retired colonel – has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Colonel Okpala was sentenced by Justice F. N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu.
He was convicted in a case of conspiracy, and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N34.5million (thirty-four million, five hundred thousand naira).
The charge was brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC].
The matter which was earlier slated for trial on Wednesday took a different turn when the convict decided to change his plea from “not guilty” to “guilty”.
Okpala allegedly in 2008 approached one Barrister Vincent Obetta of Igwurube Chambers and a member of Dominion City Church.
He approached him under the pretext of having large portion of land for sale at N40 million (forty million naira).
The complainant, Dominium City Church, in need of a landed property to build their school, negotiated and eventually bought the land.
The land was bought for 34.5 million Naira (thirty-four million, five hundred thousand naira).
The church also paid additional five percent of the sum, which is, N1,750,000.00 (one million, seven hundred and fifty thousand naira) as agency fee to Igwurube Chambers.
Justice Yunusa wasted no much time in handing the accused a 7-year jail term.
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