The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a woman, Remilekun Balogun-Okedeyi, to one year imprisonment for her role in a visa fraud scheme.
Justice Mojisola Dada handed down the sentence on Tuesday after the defendant admitted guilt to an amended charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The court, however, gave her the option of paying a ₦500,000 fine instead of serving the jail term.
Balogun-Okedeyi was prosecuted on a charge marked ID/27346C/2025, which bordered on visa racketeering and impersonation, having falsely presented herself as an official of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
At the hearing, prosecuting counsel Yvonne William-Mbata, alongside R.N. Eze and O.E. Pereira, notified the court of an amended charge and expressed readiness to proceed. The charge was subsequently read, and the defendant pleaded guilty.
A prosecution witness, Mr Onyema, told the court that the case originated from a petition submitted by the British Deputy High Commission. He said investigations uncovered the defendant’s link to a visa fraud syndicate.
According to the witness, Balogun-Okedeyi impersonated a NAFDAC staff member to facilitate fraudulent visa applications and mislead officials of the British mission.
The defendant was represented by Mrs Grace Adenubi of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.
In her judgment, Justice Dada ruled that the defendant’s admission of guilt, along with the prosecution’s unchallenged evidence, sufficiently proved the case.
She thereafter convicted Balogun-Okedeyi and sentenced her to one year imprisonment, with an alternative of a ₦500,000 fine.
The court also directed the convict to carry out community service within the court premises and to sign a bond of good behaviour.
