The Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti has convicted and sentenced a man, Bethel Onyedikachi Ukachukwu, to two years imprisonment for defrauding a victim in a fake Nigeria Customs car auction scheme.
Justice Lekan Ogunmoye delivered the judgment on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
Ukachukwu was arraigned by the Ekiti Zonal Directorate of the EFCC on a three-count amended charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence.
According to the EFCC, the convict collected ₦500,000 from Mr. Kayode Aina Samuel after promising to secure an auctioned vehicle for him through the Nigeria Customs Service.
Count One stated that on April 15, 2026, in Ado-Ekiti, Ukachukwu fraudulently obtained ₦500,000 from Samuel under the false claim that he would use the money to bid for a Customs auctioned car.
Count Two stated that he dishonestly converted the said ₦500,000, which was entrusted to him to purchase a vehicle on behalf of the victim, to his own use.
After Ukachukwu pleaded guilty, prosecution counsel Saidu Yusuf called PW1, Emmanuel Onuminya, and tendered all exhibits before the court. The court admitted the exhibits as evidence.
Defense counsel, T.A. Salami, pleaded with the court for leniency, saying his client was remorseful and had already made restitution to the petitioner.
In his judgment, Justice Ogunmoye convicted Ukachukwu and sentenced him to two years imprisonment with an option of ₦150,000 fine.
The court heard that Ukachukwu’s trouble started when he falsely presented himself as a Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army and collected ₦500,000 from the victim under the pretext of getting him a vehicle. He neither delivered the car nor refunded the money.
He has since been remanded at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre.
