Ugwu Chijioke and Ibrahim Adekunle, two individuals who impersonated officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and carried out a fictitious court order, were given 46 years in prison.
The two were taken into custody in May 2021 in New Horizon Estate in Lekki, Lagos, after the commission received reliable information, according to a statement posted on the X platform on Sunday.
They were arrested while carrying out an illegal activity.
Fake EFCC identity cards, coats, and a court order supposedly from Mushin Magistrate Court were among the items recovered from them upon their detention.
On October 12, 2021, the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC arraigned them on a five-count indictment amended to include impersonation, attempted property fraud, possession of fraudulent papers, and unauthorised use of the EFCC uniform.
The suspects appeared before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja and pled guilty to the charges.
Following their guilty pleas, prosecution lawyer Abdulhamid Tukur presented a review of the case facts to prove their guilt.
Tukur then urged that the court issue a guilty verdict and inflict the appropriate punishments.
Justice Abike-Fadipe convicted them on counts one, to five.
When the accused were given the opportunity to speak in court, they asked for mercy.
Justice Abike-Fadipe delivered judgement, sentencing the defendants to seven years on counts one through three, one year on count four, and eight months on count five.
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The sentences will be executed concurrently.
One of the counts reads: “ That you, Ugwu Pascal Chijioke and Ibrahim Sadiq Adekunle, on or about the 12th day of May, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, attempted to obtain property from one Oriyomi Johnson under the pretext that the “Chief Magistrate Court, Lagos State Judiciary, Mushin, Lagos” issued an Order to the effect that the property located at New Horizon Estate, Lekki- Ikate, Lagos be seized and the said apartment sealed pending the arrival of the said Oriyomi Johnson ,which representation you knew to be false and committed an offence of attempt to obtain property by false pretense contrary to Sections 8(b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section11(3) of the same Act.”
Another count reads, “That you, Ugwu Pascal Chijioke and Ibrahim Sadiq Adekunle, on or about the 12th day of May, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court not being a person holding any office in or authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, wore a jacket bearing the official mark of the Commission ,which was calculated to convey the impression that you held such authority and committed an offence of unlawfully wearing the uniform of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission contrary to Section 79(1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
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