By RismadarVoice Reporters – December 8, 2025
In a ruling that is already stirring debates across legal circles, the Court of Appeal in Enugu has overturned the acquittal of a land fraud suspect and sentenced him to seven years in prison despite his full repayment of the money he stole.
Henry Ugwuede, who had been discharged and acquitted by the Federal High Court in April 2024 after refunding #2.91 million he obtained through forged land documents, will now serve the mandatory jail term for obtaining money by false pretence.
The appellate court, led by Justice Mohammed Mustapha, held on November 25, 2025 that restitution cannot wash away crime, faulting the lower court for treating refund as a substitute for punishment.
“Restitution does not take away the punishment intended for committing the crime,” the court ruled – convicting Ugwuede on all six counts brought by the EFCC and imposing a seven-year sentence without an option of fine.
Ugwuede had tricked Capt. Agbor Ubachukwu Solomon into paying for plots of land he never owned, using forged signatures on a Deed of Lease.
Legal analysts opine that the decision could reset the tone for fraud prosecutions, nationwide, particularly in cases where suspects attempt to “buy back freedom” through repayment.
The judgment may also ignite public conversation on whether Nigeria’s justice system has, for too long, quietly rewarded fraudsters who refund stolen cash while victims and society bear the cost.
