Two Nigerian visa agents have been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment without an option of fine for defrauding the United States Consulate in Lagos of N50m.

The convicts, Adefila Adekunle, 44, and Busari Kabiru, 25, tendered fake visa payment receipts for B1 and B2 categories for 350 applicants.

Chief Magistrate Folashade Botoku of the Igbosere Chief Magistrates Court handed down the judgment on the two men.

The convicts were found guilty of the three-count charge brought against them by the police at the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos during the trial.

A third defendant, Friday Attah, was discharged and acquitted by the court for want of evidence.

Police counsel, ASP Wewe Adegbayi, had told the court in charge No D/07/2015 that in February 2015, officials at the US Consulate in Lagos represented by the Regional Security Officer, Christopher Cicoria, petitioned the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, over the incident.

Adegbayi said that following the petition, the police swung into action and arrested the suspects.

Adekunle while confessing to the crime, said, “I conspired with Busari Kabiru and Friday Attah to defraud the US Consulate by using one original visa payment receipt for 350 fresh applicants and converted the money to personal use.

“After we paid the normal fee for customers seeking for B1 and B2 visas, we used the visa payment receipts issued by the embassy for other 350 fresh applicants by using a computer to erase the name on the original receipt and replaced it with other names and submitted to consulate officials.”