Justice Mohammed Abubakar of the Federal High Court 1, sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 convicted and sentenced one Abdulrazak Lawal Adetunji to four months in prison.
He was convicted on a one-count amended charge of obtaining money under false pretence filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office.
The offence, according to the charge sheet, runs contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Act.
Abdulrazak was alleged to have obtained the sum of $400 USD (Four Hundred United States of American Dollars) from one Beatrice Lothes, an American citizen when he falsely represented himself to her as James Richard from the United States of America.
The pretense facilitated his obtaining the said sum through iTunes and play gift card.
At the courtโs sitting on Tuesday, the EFCCโs counsel, Shamsuddeen Bashir, informed the court that the Commission will be substituting the arraignment earlier filed for the day with a plea bargain.
โMy lord, today was initially for arraignment. But, we were approached by the defendant for a plea bargain agreement.
โIn view of this, we have filed an amended charge together with the plea bargain agreement. We therefore, urge the court to accept same and call upon the defendant to take his plea,โ he told the court.
When the one-count amended charge was read to him, the defendant pleaded guilty.
In view of his plea, Bashir adopted the plea bargain agreement and urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
The presiding judge then convicted and sentenced Abdulrazak to four months in prison.
The court also ordered that the convict make restitution of the sum he obtained to his victim, through the Federal Government of Nigeria, as well as forfeit items recovered from him to the government.
