The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced Abdulrahman Lawal Raji to 15 years imprisonment for defrauding a customer of N26 million under the guise of procuring a Toyota Hilux vehicle.
The judgment was delivered on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, by Justice Ismail Ijelu.
Raji was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on a two-count amended charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence. He was initially arraigned before the court on November 9, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the EFCC, Raji and another suspect who remains at large fraudulently obtained N26 million from one Olaide Ibidapo between March 20 and 21, 2023. The defendant had falsely represented that the money was meant for the purchase of a 2022 Toyota Hilux vehicle, a claim investigators later discovered to be untrue.
During the trial, prosecution counsel Ebuka Okongwu called four witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted as evidence by the court. The defence, on its part, presented two witnesses in an attempt to challenge the allegations against the defendant.
In his judgment, Justice Ijelu held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court subsequently found Raji guilty on both counts and convicted him accordingly.
The judge sentenced the convict to 10 years’ imprisonment on the first count and five years on the second count, with no option of a fine. The sentences are to run concurrently. Justice Ijelu also ordered Raji to refund the N26 million to the victim. The conviction stemmed from his failure to either deliver the promised vehicle or return the money paid for its purchase.
