Gbenro Adesina
Gombe and Oyo States High Courts have convicted and sentenced four impersonators to different jail terms.
The accused were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on various criminal charges ranging from internet scam to stealing.
In Gombe, Justice S.Y. Abubakar convicted and sentenced Abubakar Mohammed to four years imprisonment with option of N40,000 fine on a four-count charge for attempt to commit theft, impersonation, possession and use of false document.
Abubakah was convicted and sentenced after pleading guilty to the charges which are punishable under Sections 287,132 and 364 of the Penal Code Law.
He was said to have attempted to use false identity on February 24, 2016, to transfer the sum of N6,000,000 from an Ecobank Account No 0123022902 to another account in Guaranty Trust Bank.
The inconsistency of his signature and the identity card he presented caused the bank to tip off the EFCC, leading to his arrest.
In Ibadan, while Justice Patricia Ajoku sentenced Sodiq Oluasegun Adefila to eight months jail term, Justice Uche Agomoh convicted and sentenced Anifowoshe Babamide and Raqeed Salaudeen Segun to six months imprisonment.
The three accused pleaded guilty to their respective one-count amended charges for the offences which contravene Section 22 (2) (b) (i) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) (IV) of the same Act.
Apart from the jail term, Adefila was ordered to restitute his victim, one Yolanda Bailey, to the tune of $285 and forfeits an IPhone 6 Plus mobile phone to the Federal government.
Similarly, Raqeed was ordered to restitute his victim in the sums of $160 and N6, 000 respectively. He also forfeits one IPhone X Max and an Infinix mobile phone to the Federal Government.
Anifowoshe was asked to forfeits one Techno Spark mobile-phone used in committing the crime to the Federal Government.
