Two travel agents, Clement Ekhueorohan, 30, and Courage Chinonso, 38, were on Thursday sentenced to four years imprisonment each by a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court for visa fraud.
The duo, both residents of Kabala Coastain, Kaduna, were charged with conspiracy, fraud and theft.
Delivering judgment, Magistrate Ibrahim Emmanuel held that both Ekhurorohan and Chinoso were guilty of defrauding Philip Adetutu and five other victims of N11. 6 million.
The magistrate did not give the convicts an option of fine.
He also ordered the convicts to restitute N2.1million each as compensation to the victims.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp. Chidi Leo, told the court that the convicts between March and Oct. 2022, in Ungwan Rimi area of Kaduna, obtained N2.1million each from Adetutu and 5 other victims to procure a French, Australian and Malta visa/ tickets for them.
Leo said that after fraudulently collecting the money from the victims, the duo failed to fulfil their own part of the bargain and all efforts made to collect the money from them failed.
The offence, he said, contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.