A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odia, also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 14 years’ imprisonment each for defrauding a petitioner of N67.66 million through an illegal property transaction.
Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the judgment on Monday, November 2, 2026, after finding the defendants guilty of conspiracy, stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.
The court also ordered the convicts to refund the sum of N67,659,592 to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, had prosecuted the couple on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence and forgery.
According to the prosecution, the defendants sometime in 2010 conspired to unlawfully sell a property belonging to beneficiaries of the estate of late Dr Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa.
The property, located at No. 19, Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo, Lagos, was allegedly sold for N16 million under the false representation that the defendants had the authority of the estate’s bona fide beneficiaries to dispose of it.
One of the charges specifically accused the defendants of falsely presenting themselves as authorised representatives of the estate beneficiaries when they sold the property.
During the trial, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution counsel, Fadeke Giwa, called three witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits to establish the case, while the defence presented one witness.
Delivering judgment, Justice Dada held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt on three of the four counts.
The judge sentenced the defendants to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, one year for stealing and 10 years for obtaining money by false pretence, bringing their total sentences to 14 years each.
However, the court discharged both defendants on the fourth count bordering on forgery.
Justice Dada further ordered that the sentence of the first defendant be suspended until he is apprehended.
The alleged offences were said to have contravened Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, among other relevant provisions.