An Akure Chief Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a woman, Rukayat Temitope Lawal, to one year imprisonment for unlawfully selling a Toyota Sienna vehicle belonging to her former lover and employer, Jubril Ogundana, who is based in the United States.
In a judgment delivered in Charge No. MAK/NC/483C/2022, Chief Magistrate Lateef Abu found Lawal guilty of converting the vehicle for personal use before disposing of it without the owner’s consent.
The case arose from a disagreement between the defendant and the complainant, who were previously involved in a romantic relationship and business partnership before Ogundana relocated to the United States in 2018.
The prosecution had charged Lawal with conspiracy, forgery and stealing, alleging that she falsely claimed ownership of the vehicle, valued at N2.8 million, and presented documents, including an alleged forged marriage certificate, to support her claim.
Prosecuting counsel, Oniyere Taiwo, told the court that the offences were committed in July 2021 at Oluwafemi Quarters, Aule, Akure, Ondo State.
During the trial, Ogundana testified that he imported the Toyota Sienna into Nigeria in 2020 for business purposes and entrusted the vehicle to Lawal while he remained abroad.
He denied being married to the defendant, insisting that she was only his girlfriend and employee.
To support its case, the prosecution presented four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including vehicle registration documents, police statements and records obtained from the marriage registry of Ekiti East Local Government Area.
In his ruling, Magistrate Abu held that the prosecution successfully established ownership of the vehicle through registration documents presented before the court, which showed that the Toyota Sienna was registered in the complainant’s name.
The court noted that although Lawal disputed the ownership and claimed she contributed financially to the purchase of the vehicle, the evidence before the court proved otherwise.
According to the magistrate, the defendant unlawfully converted the vehicle and later sold it despite ongoing disputes and investigations concerning its ownership.
“From the evidence before the court, the prosecution has established that the defendant fraudulently converted the Toyota Sienna belonging to the complainant,” the magistrate held.
The court subsequently convicted Lawal for stealing by a person with an interest in the property under Section 388 of the Criminal Code, having found the charge proved beyond reasonable doubt.
While sentencing the defendant, the magistrate criticised her actions, noting that she proceeded to sell the vehicle despite being aware of the disputes and police investigations initiated by the complainant.
The court sentenced her to one year imprisonment with an option of a N100,000 fine.
In addition, Lawal was ordered to pay N2.8 million compensation to Ogundana, representing the value of the vehicle.
Although the original purchase receipt was not tendered in evidence, the court held that ownership and existence of the vehicle had been sufficiently established through other documentary evidence.
The magistrate further observed that prevailing economic conditions and inflation had significantly eroded the value of the compensation sum, noting that the amount would no longer be sufficient to purchase a fairly used Toyota Sienna imported into the country.