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| The suspects |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, secured the conviction and sentencing of two Internet fraudsters, Temitope Samson and Uduogwu Freeborn Eboagwu, to six months imprisonment each before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The convicts were arraigned today on an amended two-count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents containing false information, an offence contrary to Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State No. 11 of 2011.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Temitope Samson, on or about the 14th day of March, 2019 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, had in your possession documents containing false pretence with the heading “Google Account Profile” , wherein you falsely represented yourself as Kaliyah Salius, which representations you knew or ought to know, having regards to the circumstances of the case, that the document contains false pretence.”
Another count reads: “That you, Uduogwu Freeborn Eboagwu, on or about the 14th day of March, 2019 in Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, had in your possession documents containing false pretence with the heading “Devoted”, wherein you falsely represented yourself as Fred Fernando, which representations you knew or ought to know, having regards to the circumstances of the case that the document contains the false pretence.”
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against them by the Commission.
In view of their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Joy Amahian, urged the court to convict and sentence them according to the Criminal Law of Lagos.
However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, saying, โMy Lord, they are first time offenders and will never go back to Internet fraud, if given an option of fine and/ or community service.โ
Justice Taiwo convicted and sentenced them to six months in prison each, with an option of fine of N250, 000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
Justice Taiwo also ordered that the three laptops, two phones and two cars recovered from the defendants be forfeited to the Federal Government.
