A Special Offences Court, Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced a 21-year-old man, Ifeanyi Egbuwu, to one-year imprisonment for Internet fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission agents detained Egbuwu on August 2, 2022, while conducting a raid on some Internet scammers at 42, Ola Williams Street, Kay Farm Estate, Iju, Lagos State.
The suspect, who claimed to have recently graduated from Oregun Senior High School, was taken into custody without anything being found on him.
But the fraudulent documents were found in his email account, omohhenry79@gmail, which he gave the EFCC access to.
The documents were presented as exhibits to Justice R.A. Oshodi of the Lagos Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
Egbuwu also admitted to the anti-graft commission that he profited N500,000 from his fraudulent activities, adding that he used some of the money to buy an iPhone X and pay for his father’s funeral.
“When asked under oath, the defendant admitted that he benefited N500,000 from his crime,” the judge said after convicting the defendant, who pleaded guilty to one count of possession of fraudulent documents. He stated that he spent N230,000 of the N500,000 on an iPhone X. He also claimed that the proceeds of his crime were used to buy clothes and pay for his father’s funeral. In criminal law, a guilty plea is equivalent to admitting guilt.
“Mr Ifeanyi Favour Egbuwu, I’ve listened to your compassionate plea for mercy. I’m shocked that at the age of 21, you will venture into fraudulent activities. You confessed that you spent over seven days in the commission’s custody. I’m sure that you must have learnt a lesson and do understand the impact of being in custody. It deprives you of your liberties.
“I see that you have expressed remorse and I’m persuaded by the submission of your counsel only to the extent that you are a first-time offender. But I will not allow you to keep any kobo from your criminal proceeds. It is for this reason that I sentence you to imprisonment for one-year with an option of fine in the sum of N300,000 to be paid at the registry of the High Court of Lagos State with 100 hours of community service at the Maximum Custodial Centre, Kirikiri.”
