A Yaba Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, on Wednesday, sentenced a 47-year-old man, Augustine Opone, to seven years imprisonment for impersonating a Superintendent of Police serving at Federal SARS Force.
The convict, who resides in Iju area of Lagos, was convicted after he pleaded guilty to the five-count charge of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and breach of peace.
The convict however begged the court for leniency.
The Chief Magistrate, Peter Ojo, sentenced Opone to three years imprisonment on counts one to three, and seven years imprisonment on count five, with no option of fine.
Ojo, however, gave the convict N 15,000 option of fine or two years imprisonment on count four.
He ruled that the sentence would run concurrently, starting from November 27, which was the date of his arrest.
The prosecutor, ASP Roman Unuigbe, earlier told the court that Opone had been using a fake police identification card to collect money from unsuspecting people.
He said that the convict impersonated a police officer and collected money from suspects with the promised of helping them to have charges against them dismissed.
Unuigbe said that the convict had appeared before several courts in Lagos to discontinue charges against accused persons.
He said: “On December 3, at Ifako Ijaiye area of Lagos, he obstructed Insp. George Okpe and his team from carry out investigations.
“This led to his discovery to be a fake police officer and subsequent arrest.”
The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 168 (d), 330 (d), 365 (1), 380 (1) and 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
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