On Monday, November 2, 2026, Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, handed down a 14-year prison sentence to a married couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odia—also known as Kristein Uyanwanne—following their conviction for a N67,659,592 fraud scheme. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed the development in an official statement, noting that the presiding judge equally mandated the convicts to make total restitution of the misappropriated funds to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa.
The case involved a three-count charge instituted by the anti-graft agency's Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, focusing on criminal conspiracy, theft, and obtaining property under false pretences. Although facing a four-count charge initially, the defendants were cleared of the fourth count, which related to forgery. Throughout the legal proceedings led by prosecution counsel Fadeke Giwa, the state presented three witnesses and multiple documentary exhibits, while the defence presented a single witness before the court concluded the matter.
What were the specific details of the charges?
Court documents detailed that back in 2010, the pair fraudulently misrepresented themselves as authorized sellers of a real estate asset situated at No. 19 Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo, Lagos. Claiming they had authorization from the legitimate beneficiaries of the Estate of the Late Dr. Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa, they sold the property for N16,000,000 to an individual, a representation the court established was deliberately deceptive.
How did the court rule on the counts?
Delivering the verdict, Justice Dada ruled that the prosecution successfully discharged its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Consequently, the defendants received a three-year sentence for count one, one year for count two (stealing), and a strict 10-year term without the option of a fine for count three, which involved obtaining money under false pretences. The court also directed that the first defendant's sentence remain suspended until apprehension.
The underlying allegations established that the duo acted in concert to unlawfully dispossess the rightful beneficiaries of the late Dr. Moshood Odemuyiwa's estate, violating Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011. Following years of judicial proceedings, the ruling brings legal closure to the multi-million naira property scam.