Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court in Kaduna has found and sentenced two fraudsters to three years in jail for impersonation and cybercrime.
Mmadubionwu Tochukwu Kingsley and Samuel Ngode Wobin were sentenced on Monday, May 16, 2022, after pleading guilty to a one-count distinct charge touching on impersonation at their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Kaduna Zonal Command.
The one count charge read: “That you Mmadubionwu Tochukwu Kingsley (m) sometime in April, 2022 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, in an attempt to commit fraud falsely presented yourself as one Gerald Keith, a white man and an entrepreneur on instagram App ( a social media online network), when you knew you were not, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 142 (1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017”.
” That you, Samuel Ngode Wobin (M), sometime in April, 2022 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court in an attempt to commit fraud falsely presented yourself as one Thomas Broussard; an American military personnel stationed in El Segundo, Los Angeles, California to Jessica R. Brownskin, when you knew you were not and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017”.
They both pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to them individually.
Based on their pleas, EFCC Counsels: M.E Eimonye and E.K Garba prayed the court to convict them accordingly.
Justice Khobo convicted and sentenced Kingsley and Wobin to three years imprisonment each. They were also offered an option of fine of N150,000 each. The judge ordered them to forfeit the phones used to commit the crimes to the Federal Government.
The convicts’ journey to the Correctional Centre started when they were arrested by operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC, based on credible intelligence on their involvement in cybercrimes in the Kaduna metropolis. They were subsequently charged to court and convicted.
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