Undergraduate Bags 18-month Imprisonment for Online Dating Scam
Funke Olaode
Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court yesterday sentenced a 100-level University part-time student of computer science, Emmanuel Victor to 18 months imprisonment for online dating scam.
The convict was however given an option of fine in the sum of N4 million. Victor, aged 23, had benefitted $7,000 from online dating scam before his arrest.
The convict pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
EFCC prosecuting counsel, Abubakar Dambua, who reviewed the fact of the case, told the court that on September 15, 2023, he received intelligence report about the fraudulent activities of the convict and the others. He said a raid was carried out and the convict was arrested.
He listed items recovered from him to include iPhone 13 deep blue colour, a Samsung phone and ATM card and managers’ cheque and fraudulent documents among others.
Dambua thereafter sought to tender all items recovered from the convict as evidence before the court. The defence counsel, E. A. Ukpai did not object to the admissibility of items recovered from the convict.
Asked by the trial judge how he did fraudulent activities, Victor told the court that he created a false account in the name of ‘Agent Fred Smith’ on Facebook Book.
“I then asked the unsuspecting victims to apply for Social Economic Grant Programme and I asked them to pay processing and delivery”. Victor told the court that he used the $7,000 to resettle his family.
“We used to stayed in a plank house and l used the money to provide better accommodation and pay for my school fees,” he added
He claimed to be sorry for his fraudulent activities and promised not to go back to crime if given another chance.
Defence counsel , Ukpai, in her allocutus, said the defendant had realised his mistake, become remorseful and that he is a first time offender.
She pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, and grant him non custodial sentence saying that his mother is not well.
Delivering judgement in the matter, Oshodi said he did not believe that the convict committed the offence out of necessity.He however said he would reduce his sentence by 20 per cent.
Justice Oshodi sentenced the convict to 18 months imprisonment with an option of fine in the sum of N4 million in lieu of imprisonment.
The convict would also forfeit all items recovered from him, including the phones, ATM card, the Manager’s cheque, to the federal government.
