A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday, sentenced a 23-year-old dog seller, Omoteji Tomiwa to two years jail term for impersonation.
He was convicted and sentenced by Justice Muhammed Sani having found him guilty of a two-count charge bordering on impersonation to obtain leveled against him by Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Omoteji, from Egbe in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, allegedly posed as one Michael Gregory vide a gmail account linked to his hangouts account with intent to obtain a sum of $2000 US dollars from one Sierra B. Price, an offence contrary to Section 22(2) (b) (11) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (iv) of the same Act”.
Count one of the charge sheet reads, “That you, Omoteji Tomiwa Stephen (Alias: Micheal Gregory) sometime in September, 2021 at Kwara State, within the judicial division of the Federal High Court, did fraudulently impersonate one Micheal Gregory vide your chats using Gmail; fsgfdrtr.56r5tgf@gmail.com linked to your Hangouts number 765-396-8539 with the intent to obtain and did obtain the sum of $2000 from one Sierra B. Price and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 22(2) (b) (11) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention Etc.) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (iv) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.
Counsel to the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, upon his plea, reviewed the facts of the case and tendered the fraudulent messages printed from the defendant’s device, one iPhone 12 Pro Max, HP laptop and one Toyota Corolla 2008 car, which were admitted in evidence by the law court.
Akoja prayed the court to hold that the prosecution had successfully linked the defendant to the charge and convict him accordingly as charged.
Justice Sani, in his judgement, sentenced Omoteji to one year imprisonment on each of the two counts, which would run concurrently with an option of fine of N200,000 on each count.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s iPhone 12 Pro Max, HP Laptop and a 2008 Toyota Corolla car to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Sani, further ordered the convict to restitute the sum of $100 US dollars which he benefited from the crime.
