Pastor bags two-year jail term over N2.1m visa scam

An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a Pastor, Michael Njoteah, to two years in a correctional centre over an alleged N2.1 million visa scam.
The Presiding Magistrate, O. O. Adeshina, sentenced Njoteah, 35, without an option of fine and ordered that the sentence should be effective from March 11.
Adeshina said Njoteah was found guilty of obtaining money from two persons under the false pretence of procuring visas for them.
During trial, the Prosecutor, Sergeant Friday Mameh, had told called five witnesses who told the court that the convict committed the offences separately in Lagos in 2017 and 2018.
Mameh said Njoteah fraudulently obtained N1.3 million from Samuel Ezeoha with the promise of procuring Australian visa for him.
He also told the court that Njoteah collected the sum of N850,000 from another person, Chukwunonso Okeke, with the same promise of securing visa.
According to Mameh, the offences contravened Sections 287, 314 318 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Njoteah had during trial told the court that he was not a visa agent, but collected the monies from the complainants to connect them to visa agents.
He said monies collected from the two men were given to his visa agents for the purpose of procuring the visas.