Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, convicted and sentenced one Abdulrahman Ridwan Opeyemi, who was prosecuted on a one-count charge bordering on impersonation, to three years imprisonment.
The count reads; “That you, ABDULRAHMAN RIDWAN OPEYEMI, sometime in 2022 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, fraudulently impersonated one Keena Butler by holding yourself out as such on Google Chat App, with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3](c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charge preferred against him.
In view of his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, C.C Okezie, through a witness, Onoja Peace Ene, an operative of the EFCC,
gave a review of the facts to prove the case against the defendant.
The witness narrated to the court that Opeyemi was arrested, following credible intelligence received by the Commission on the activities of some internet fraudsters around the Lekki- Ajah axis of Lagos State in 2022,
Opeyemi, according to Ene, admitted in his statement to the Commission admitted that he was into dating scam and posed as a woman on Google and Tik Tok apps.
“He also wrote that he had defrauded more than three clients and also benefited the sum of $4000 (Four Thousand Dollars.).
“An iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple laptop and one Nokia touch light phone were recovered from him.
“The laptop and phone were taken to the Forensic Department for analysis, where fraudulent documents were printed out from them.
“The defendant endorsed it and it was filled accordingly,” she further told the court.
The witness added that Opeyemi, upon arrest, restituted the sum of N300,000(Three Hundred Thousand Naira) to the Federal Government recovery fund account.
The prosecution then sought to tender the IPhone, Nokia phone , laptop, statements and bank draft as evidence.
The Judge admitted all the documents as exhibit A,A1, B,C,D and E.
The prosecution, therefore, prayed the court to convict the defendant.
Justice Oweibo reviewed the facts of the case and convicted the defendant.
The defence counsel, Bimbo Adelaja, prayed the court to tamper justice with mercy, saying, “ he is a first-time offender. He did not waste the time of the court and is repentant.
Adelaja also prayed that a second chance be given to the defendant “since he is still in the university and can still be of benefit to the society.”
Delivering judgement, Justice Nicholas Oweibo sentenced him to three years imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N150,00( One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
The Judge also ordered that the laptop and mobile phones recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government
