Two bag 22 years, eight months imprisonment for fraud, impersonation

Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, yesterday,sentenced 2 middle-age men, Ugwu Pascal Chijioke and Ibrahim Sadiq Adekunle, to 22 years and 8 months imprisonment for impersonating an authoritative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The duo were convicted for utilizing fake tribunal orders to impersonate the authoritative and extort unsuspecting members of the public. The EFCC had arraigned the duo connected an amended five-count complaint bordering connected obtaining spot by mendacious pretence, unlawfully wearing the EFCC uniform, and possession of documents containing mendacious pretence.

The convicts committed the offence connected May 12, 2021, with intent to defraud and get spot from 1 Oriyomi Johnson nether the pretext that the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos State Judiciary, Mushin, issued an bid to the effect that the spot located astatine New Horizon Estate, Lekki-Ikate, Lagos, beryllium seized and sealed.

Their offences were contrary to Sections 8(b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable nether Section 11(3) of the aforesaid Act.

Also, their offence contradicted Section 79(1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. They pleaded not blameworthy erstwhile they were fist arraigned but aboriginal changed their plea.

Following their blameworthy plea, the prosecuting counsel, Abdulhamid Lamido Tukur, reviewed the facts of the lawsuit earlier the court. He told tribunal that astatine the constituent of arrest, fake EFCC individuality cards, jackets, and a tribunal bid purported to person emanated from the Mushin Magistrate’s Court were collected from the defendants

“In presumption of the reappraisal of the information of the case, the prosecution prayed the tribunal to convict the defendants arsenic charged and condemnation them accordingly.”
Justice Abike-Fadipe, who recovered them blameworthy arsenic charged, therefore, sentenced them to 7 years imprisonment connected number 1, 2 and 3; 1 twelvemonth connected number 4; portion they were sentenced to 8 months connected number 5.

The justice said the situation word would tally concurrently. Before sentencing the convicts, they pleaded for mercy.