Nigerian Man Jailed Four Years for Defrauding British Airways of N35.6 Million

The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced Idris Bakare to four years in prison for defrauding British Airways of N35.6 million. The judgment, delivered by Justice O. O. Abike-Fadipe on May 23, 2024, followed Bakare’s guilty plea.

Bakare was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on four counts of stealing, amounting to N35,672,845.00. These offenses contravene Section 280(2) and are punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

Prosecution counsel Z. I. Atiku called EFCC investigative officer Mojibola Adekunbi to review the facts. Adekunbi detailed that British Airways had filed a petition on January 19, 2022, against Total Nigeria Plc and Sahara Energy, alleging that they conspired to inflate invoices for Jet A1 fuel supplied to British Airways, a fraudulent practice dating back to 2018.

Investigations revealed that Bakare, a former contract staff member of Total Plc, conspired with others to sell Jet A1 fuel meant for British Airways to Dauda Sulaiman. The proceeds, totaling N40,676,000.00, were traced to Bakare’s account.

The court admitted evidence including the British Airways petition, Bakare’s statement, and transaction records. Bakare, expressing remorse, apologized to British Airways, Total Plc, Nigerians, and his family.

Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced Bakare to one-year imprisonment for each of the four counts, with an option of a N1 million fine per count. The sentences are to run concurrently. Bakare was also ordered to repay the outstanding N36,676,000.00 over three years starting July 2024, and the N4 million already refunded will be returned to British Airways.