Justice Oyindamola Ogala of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday convicted a travel agent, Alhaji Sharafadeen Irorun for scamming Muslim pilgrims to the tune of N7.5 million.

Justice Oyindamola Ogala of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday convicted a travel agent, Alhaji Sharafadeen Irorun for scamming Muslim pilgrims to the tune of N7.5 million.

The judge found Irorun guilty on four-count out of a 12-count charge brought against him by the state government.

The state had arraigned Irorun, for allegedly defrauding some intending hajj pilgrims of N24.6milion. Irorun and others still at large fraudulently obtained the sum from some intending pilgrims with an assurance to prepare them to travel for the 2014 Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

He was arraigned on 12 counts bordering on obtaining by false pretences and stealing, contrary to the provision of sections 312 and 285 (9) (b) the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The judge in her judgment held that the prosecution had sufficiently established that the defendant and others who are at large are a criminal group, found Irorun guilty and convicted him on counts 1, 2, 5 and 6.

“They are a criminal group who unwittingly dispossessed innocent persons of their money under the pretext of helping them undergo the Hajj pilgrimage,” the court held.

During the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. O. A. Azeez called three witnesses who were among the people that contributed the money, which the third prosecution witness (PW3), Alhaji Lukman Abdulkareem, gave to the defendant.

The judge found that the PW1 and PW2 had no direct involvement with the defendant but supported the evidence of the PW3, who was involved with the defendant and whose evidence she called ‘succinct and direct.’

Justice Ogala further held: “It is also clear to the court that the evidence of PW1 and PW2 are fair, consistent to the case and indeed corroborate the evidence of the PW3.”

She, therefore, acquitted Irorun of eight counts out of the 12-count charge on the ground that the prosecution failed to prove those counts against the defendant.

She convicted him of four counts, but adjourned sentencing to May 22.