A Federal High Court in Ibadan, on Monday, sentenced a 29-year-old internet fraudster, Kolade Adedokun, to one-and-a-half years in prison over impersonation.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ekerete Akpan, said that he convicted and sentenced Adedokun based on the evidence tendered by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as his plea bargain agreement.
Akpan added that he considered the provisions of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 as well as the fact that Adedokun was a first time offender in his judgment.
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He, however, warned that stiffer punishment awaited the convict if he ever ventured into any form of crime again.
“To serve as a deterrent to others, Adedokun is sentenced to one-and-a-half years in prison and the sentence starts from the date he was first arrested and detained.
“The N550,000 restituted by the convict is forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the judge said.
Earlier, the EFCC Counsel, Mr Mabas Mabub, had told the court that the convict was arraigned on a count charge bordering on impersonation.
Mabub stated that Adedokun committed the crime sometime in October 2022 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The prosecution further said that the anti-graft agency acted on a tip- off from concerned Nigerians that Adedokun was ripping unsuspecting foreigners off their hard-earned money.
He said that the investigation carried out by EFCC detectives through his fictitious email address linked the convict with the crime.
