An Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos State on Wednesday sentenced a 22-year-old tailor, Kabiru Okeshola, to one year imprisonment for representing himself as a white woman and engaging in internet dating scam.
Justice Rahman Oshodi sentenced Okeshola to one year in Ikoyi Correctional Service Centre, Lagos State.
The ruling followed the convict’s admission to the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Oshodi said he was satisfied the confessional statement of the defendant established that he was engaged in fraudulent activities.
He ruled: “Contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015, I have convicted you of possessing fraudulent documents through which you have benefitted $3,000.
“You used the money to pay the hospital bill of your father, who is now late.
“You said you are now a tailor and have turned a new leaf and I believe you.
“You are hereby sentenced to one year imprisonment or pay a fine of N100,000.”
The Judge further ordered that the convict’s iPhone 13 Pro and the N300,000 bail, which he restituted to the EFCC, be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Oshodi also ordered that the convict be handed over to the officers of the correctional service, pending payment of the fine.
Earlier, in the review of facts, the operative of the EFCC, Usman Ahmed, told the court that the convict and 15 others were arrested in a sting operation sometime in September in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
Ahmed said that the convict confessed to have represented himself on social media to be a white woman from America in search of love and companionship.
He said: “He confirmed to have received the $3,000 in tranches through a third party to take care of his late father.
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“The defendant restituted a sum of N300,000 in favour of EFCC recovery fund account.
“An iPhone 13 Pro through which bundles of fraudulent documents were printed out was also recovered from him.”
The court thereafter admitted all the documents in evidence, but following no objections from the defence counsel, Jamal Bashir, convicted and sentenced Okeshola.
Bashir, in his allocutus, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy as the convict was a first time offender and was ready to turn a new leaf.
“We pray for a non-custodial sentence and also urge the court to temper justice with mercy,” Bashir said.
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