An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a pastor, Micheal Njoteah, to two years in correctional centre over alleged N2.1 million visa scam.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs O. O. Adeshina, sentenced Njoteah, 35, without an option of fine and ordered that the sentence should be effective from Wednesday, March 11.
She said that Njoteah was found guilty of obtaining money from two persons under the false pretense of procuring visas for them.
During trial, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Friday Mameh, had told called five witnesses who told the court that the convict committed the offences separately in Lagos in 2017 and 2018.
Mameh said that Njoteah fraudulently obtained the sum of N1.3 million from Samuel Ezeoha with the promise of procuring Australian visa for him.
He also told the court that Njoteah collected the sum of N850, 000 from another person, Chukwunonso Okeke, with the same promise of securing visa.
According to Mameh, the offences contravened Sections 287, 314 318 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos state, 2015.
Njoteah, had during trial, told the court that he was not a visa agent, but collected the monies from the complainants to connect them to visa agents.
He said that monies collected from the two men were given to his visa agents for the purpose of procuring the visas.
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