Hassan Kareem Ayinde, a fake Army General who adopted the name Bolarinwa Oluwasegun Abiodun to defraud unsuspecting victims using the name of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was Thursday, sentenced to seven years imprisonment, for fraud.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos, said his imprisonment will send message to scammers who have destroyed the name of the country.

The fake general was convicted following a plea bargain at the proceedings on Thursday, where he admitted using the name of Obasanjo, to defraud a business man, Bamidele Olusegun Safiriyu, to the tune of N266.5milion.

Ruling on a 13-count charge brought before the court, the judge ordered that the convict should give to the complainant, a sum of N20 million Naira.

He is also to forfeit four vehicles recovered during search on his home at 1A Joke Ayo street, Alagbado, Lagos, while the building was also ordered forfeited.

Among the properties to be forfeited are; a black Range Rover Sport HSA with Reg No APJ YAB 289 BD, a black BMW 750 NNI with chassis No WBAKC6C51A393501, a black Toyota Land Cruiser V6 ESR with chassis No JINHU09JXV4086310 and a white Toyota Hilux woyh Reg No Lagos KTU 985 BT.

The Court also ordered that the First Bank of Nigeria account of Bolarinwa Oluwasegun Abiodun be closed.

Justice Taiwo said that the action of the convict shows the length scammer can go to defraud innocent victims, adding that he portrayed himself to be a general, perfected the scam by his level of his education.

She wondered if such a person should be allowed to walk scot-free.

“It is so sad that people have given our dear country a bad name, I intend to send a clear message to scammers,” she said.

The convict was arraigned on April 11, 2022 for falsely representing himself to the complainant, Kodef Clearing Resources, as a General in the Nigerian Army.

He was also alleged to have falsely told the complainant that he was shortlisted by President Muhammadu Buhari to be appointed as the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, and that he needed a short grant to “press and process the appointment.”

The defendant was arrested at his house in the Alagbado area of Lagos State on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

He was also accused to have forged a letter of appointment as COAS purportedly signed by the President and showed the same to the victim to further prove his claim.

One of the counts reads: “Bolarinwa Oluwasegun Abiodun, between 15th June, 2020 and 31st December 2020 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud and whilst holding yourself out as a General in the Nigerian Army, obtained the sum of N111,400,000 from Kodef Clearing Resources Limited, under the pretense that the sum represented part of the amount expended to “press and process” your incoming appointment by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, as the Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army, which pretense you knew to be false.”

The charge against him also has it that he allegedly forged a Nigeria Army Identity Card with serial number 387140, claiming the same to have been issued to him from the Nigerian Army.

He also forged a “Letter of Recommendation” purportedly signed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo recommending one Adebayo Rasaq Adebola, with recruitment No 77RRI/OG/556/0032555 and Adeogun Emmanuel Adesola with recruitment No 77RRI/OG/352/0123751 for employment into the Nigeria Army.

He was also charged for being in possession of a forged “Certificate of Confirmation” dated November 7, 2018, purporting the same to have emanated from the Nigerian Army Headquarters.

He was also accused of being in possession of a forged document titled: “Letter of Authorization”, purportedly signed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo permitting one Bamidele Olusegun Safiriyu of De-Rock Maritime Resource LTD. to enter Apapa Port freely and load their truck.

 

How it started

According to the EFCC’s statement, Mr Sarafiyu opened his testimony telling the court how he and the man who claimed to be the former president’s son crossed paths in April 2017.

Led in evidence by EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, the witness, who described himself as a businessman dealing in clearing and forwarding, said it started on a Friday, sometime in April 2017, when one of his loaded trucks heading to a customer’s cold room hit the defendant’s Honda Accord.

He said: “He detained the truck, because he was in a convoy of soldiers.

“On Saturday the following day, I got a call from my client that some soldiers had hijacked the container.

“I became troubled because it has never happened before, and that Saturday, I was to travel out, and so I was just praying because I didn’t know what to do.”

Mr Safiriyu said Mr Abiodun called the next day introducing himself and prefixing his name by military title, General.

He also said the defendant claimed to be a son of former President Obasanjo. Mr Obasanjo.

“Later in the day, I received a call from this young man, and he introduced himself as General Abiodun Bolarinwa, a General in the Nigerian Army and a son to Baba Olusegun Obasanjo, former President,” the witness said.

He added: “He told me in that conversation that my truck was with him, that the truck bashed his car, and his boys brought it to where he stays at Abule-Egba.

“Later my team also met with him and they got the issue resolved after spending about N200,000.”

The witness said, after the incident, the defendant, continued communicating with him.

He said on one occasion, the defendant came to his office in a convoy of military personnel with a banner of former President Obasanjo adorning one of the vehicles.

He said: “He came with a convoy and they were shooting in the air and everywhere was scattered.

“Later he sent me a message that he is going to be made the military assistant to the president at Aso Rock.

“He sent me the letter and he said he would need some assistance, claiming that in the Army you are going to provide everything you need.

“Later he said he was vying for the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, that he has been nominated by the President and that he needs money to press and process the appointment.”

The witness said he wondered why the defendant could not get Mr Obasanjo to help him make a push to be made the Chief of Army Staff.

“So I asked him, you said you’re Baba’s son, why can’t he take care of this.

“He replied and said you know that Baba doesn’t want to do that, because of the polygamous home and so he doesn’t want to be seen as the one financing him.”

“In 2013, a message came into my phone saying ‘I, President Obasanjo’. Then a few minutes later, he called me and said ‘Baba has been trying to reach you’, but that I was not picking his call.

“I checked my phone, I saw only a text, no missed call, and I told him; he said that Obasanjo has been trying to reach me to thank me for all I have been doing for him.

“Then later a number called me and it showed the name ‘Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR’ As the caller, and I picked up the call, it was exactly Baba’s voice and he said to me to help my brother financially to become COAS that he will repay me.

“So I said, ok, sir; and that was how at various times he kept requesting for money.

“He said he needed money to travel to go and meet Emirs to make his intention known, that he has been nominated to become the next COAS.

“Any time he needs money, he will use the number, sometimes he asks for N5 million, 6million.

“I did not know that he was not even in the Army and never even passed through the Army, this I got to know much later.”

He told the court that the defendant posing as Mr Obasanjo’s son even invited him to the ex-president’s birthday in 2020.

According to the witness, he was able to later get an audience with Mr Obasanjo who denied any relationship with the defendant.

He said he petitioned the EFCC, when he realised belatedly that he had been duped of almost N300 million.