A High Court sitting in Agbani, Enugu State, has sentenced one George Amechi Igwesi to seven years in prison for defrauding a buyer of over N11 million in a land deal scam.
Justice U.J. Mogboh delivered the ruling on Wednesday, June 19, 2025, following Igwesi’s conviction on two counts of obtaining by false pretence and stealing. He was charged alongside his company, Georgeann Enterprises Limited, by the Enugu Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the EFCC, Igwesi deceived one Charles Emeka Okenwa into paying N11.4 million for two plots of land located along Amurri Road in Agbani, Nkanu West Local Government Area, falsely claiming ownership of the property.
The charge read in court stated that Igwesi collected the money under the pretense that the land belonged to him. However, investigations revealed he had no legal rights to the property and never handed it over to the buyer.
The defendant pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on October 19, 2023. The EFCC presented three witnesses and submitted multiple pieces of evidence, which the court accepted.
In his judgment, Justice Mogboh said the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Igwesi was sentenced to seven years in prison without the option of a fine and was also ordered to carry out six months of community service at the High Court premises, as stipulated under Section 392 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2007.
The court further directed Igwesi to refund N7 million to the victim, having already paid back part of the money during the EFCC’s investigation. However, Georgeann Enterprises Limited, the second defendant, was discharged and acquitted.
The fraudster was first arrested on July 1, 2022, after failing to deliver the said property or refund the money paid.
