ToyoBy SCM Correspondent I June 2, 2026
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday convicted and sentenced one Abdulrahman Lawal Raji to 15 years imprisonment for his involvement in an N26 million fraud scheme involving a fake Nigeria Customs Service auction.
Justice Ismail Ijelu sentenced Raji after the prosecution successfully proved that the convict conspired with another suspect, currently at large, to defraud a citizen by posing as a Customs officer.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Ijelu held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court found Raji guilty of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretences, contrary to Sections 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The convict was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on count one (conspiracy) and five years on count two (obtaining money by false pretence) without an option of fine. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Furthermore, the court ordered the total restitution of the N26,000,000 to the complainant, Olaide Ibidapo.
Raji’s journey to prison began when he was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on November 9, 2023, on an amended two-count charge. He had pleaded “not guilty,” which prompted a full trial.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ebuka Okongwu, presented four witnesses and tendered several pieces of evidence that were admitted by the court. The defence, in its attempt to clear Raji’s name, called two witnesses.
The court heard that between March 20 and March 21, 2023, Raji personally presented himself as a Customs officer to the complainant, Olaide Ibidapo.
He falsely claimed he could help Ibidapo secure a 2022 model Toyota Hilux vehicle through a Customs auction. Trusting the representation, the victim paid the sum of N26 million to the convict.
The Charges: The counts preferred against the convict read in part:
Count One: “Abdulrahman Lawal Raji and Abdulrahman Lawal (at large) between 20th March, 2023 and 21st March, 2023 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to obtain money by false pretence from Olaide Ibidapo.”
Count Two: “Abdulrahman Lawal Raji and Abdulrahman Lawal (at large) between 20th March, 2023 and 21st March, 2023 at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained a gross sum of N26,000,000 from Olaide Ibidapo by falsely representing it was the purchase price for a Toyota Hilux 2022 car, which representation you knew to be false.”
With the judgment delivered, Raji begins his term at a correctional center, while his accomplice remains on the run.