An Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos State on Wednesday sentenced a 20-year-old undergraduate, Ganiyu Alabi, to one year and two months imprisonment for engaging in a Facebook love scam.
Justice Rahman Oshodi ordered him to spend the jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre following his plea bargain agreement.
Oshodi, in his judgment, said he had considered the effect of cybercrime, which damaged Nigeria’s international reputation
The judge also said he had taken into consideration the timely plea bargain entered into by the defendant, which had saved judicial time and resources.
The judge, however, held that he did not believe Alabi was genuinely sorry because he lied to the court.
He held: “I do not believe you are genuinely sorry because you lied to this court that you started internet fraud this year, whereas in your confessional statement, it showed you started in 2023.
“Having convicted you of the charge of possession of fraudulent documents, I hereby sentence you to one year and two months imprisonment or an option of N1 million fine.
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“You shall also serve two months community service with the Lagos State Community Service unit and the report of the activity shall be submitted at the end of the service.
“You shall also be registered as an offender in the state.”
Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Counsel, Ahmad Usman, in his review of facts, informed the court that the convict was arrested in a sting operation in Lekki, sometime in April.
Usman told the court that the convict had in his possession fraudulent documents in which he represented himself as one Leana Decker, a white female, to unsuspecting members of the public.
He submitted that the convict, in his confessional statement, admitted to have engaged in a dating scam via Facebook, from which he had benefitted the sum of $1,000.
The prosecutor further tendered bundles of fraudulent documents, which were admitted as evidence, following no objections from the defence.
The prosecution also told the court that the convict had paid back the sum of N500,000 to the anti-graft agency.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravenes Section 320 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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