Justice W. I. Aziegbemhin of the Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City on Friday, March 6, 2026, sentenced a businesswoman, Ifeoma Joy Bogamhe, to nine months imprisonment for property fraud.
Bogamhe was arraigned in June 2025 by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count amended charge bordering on the fraudulent disposition of mortgage property.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges upon arraignment, paving the way for trial.
According to the first count, Bogamhe, proprietor of ZEMEHSE Global Enterprise, on March 16, 2023, in Edo State, allegedly re-mortgaged a property to Wema Bank without the consent of the original mortgagee, Standard Life Organization, and without disclosing the existence of an earlier mortgage agreement.
The offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 299 of the Criminal Law of Edo State, 2022.
The second count alleged that she obtained a loan of N10,000,000 from Wema Bank under the pretence that the property used as collateral belonged to her and was free from encumbrances, a claim she allegedly knew to be false. The charge was brought under Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
During the trial, prosecution counsel Salihu Ahmed presented three witnesses, including two EFCC investigating officers, Muhammed Abubakar and Sani Adamu, and tendered nine documents, which were admitted in evidence by the court.
Justice Aziegbemhin had earlier convicted the defendant on February 27, 2026, but reserved sentencing until March 6.
At Friday’s sitting, the judge sentenced Bogamhe to nine months imprisonment and ordered her to restitute the complainant the money unlawfully obtained. However, she was discharged on count two of the charge.
The case arose after Bogamhe used her property as collateral to obtain a loan of N20 million from Standard Life Organization and later used the same property to secure a N10 million loan from Wema Bank. When she defaulted in repaying the loan to Standard Life Organization, the organisation attempted to take over the property, only to discover that Wema Bank also held the same property as collateral for its loan to the defendant.
EFCC
