Court Convict Hajj Agent Sharafadeen Irorun for Scamming Muslim Pilgrims
A travel agent, Alhaji Sharafadeen Irorun, has been found guilty by a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja for scamming 46 Muslim pilgrims of their money to the tune of N7.5 million.
The court convicted Irorun on four counts of a 12-count charge, which included obtaining by false pretence and stealing, brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
The judge, Justice Oyindamola Ogala, held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence that the defendant and his accomplices were a criminal group that defrauded innocent people of their money under the guise of helping them undergo the Hajj pilgrimage. Therefore, she convicted Irorun on counts 1, 2, 5, and 6.
The prosecution, led by Olarenwaju Azeez, brought three witnesses to the court, including the first and second prosecution witnesses (PW1, PW2) who were among the claimants that contributed the money which the third prosecution witness (PW3), Alhaji Lukman Abdulkareem, gave to the defendant.
The judge found that PW1 and PW2 had no direct involvement with the defendant but supported the evidence of PW3, which she called “succinct and direct.”
She also noted that the evidence of PW1 and PW2 was fair, consistent with the case, and corroborated the evidence of PW3.
However, the judge acquitted Irorun of the other eight counts in the charge against him, stating that the prosecution had insufficient evidence to convict him.
During the trial, PW3 told the court that he and 45 other people contributed money and paid the sum of N7.5 million to the defendant for the procurement of forms from the Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Board in 2014. PW2 also testified that he gave N800,000 to PW3 to help him pay for the Hajj pilgrimage for eight people after their original arrangement to secure seats failed.
The court heard that PW3 discovered he had been scammed after he requested officials to give him the bag gifts meant for the pilgrims and was told that their names were not on the list.
He reported the incident to the police, who tracked down the defendant to his hometown residence in Osun State, where they discovered other Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Board forms that were fake.
The defendant’s counsel, S. M. Olatunji, argued that the prosecution did not bring the Investigating Police Officer on the case to the court to give evidence and that the defendant did not take money from the claimants.
However, the judge considered the evidence and held that the prosecution had proven that the defendant was part of a criminal group that scams people out of their money under the pretext of pilgrimage.
The judge acquitted the convict on eight counts of the charge, citing insufficient evidence, and adjourned the matter to May 22, 2024, for sentencing, ordering parties to address the court on the convict.
