Kemisola Oye
JUSTICE Rahman Oshodi of a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja earlier today sentenced Nwobodo Ernest Chibuike to one year of community service for possessing fraudulent documents contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State 2015.
Justice Oshodi convicted the defendant on the one-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Lagos Zonal Directorate.
The Commission alleged that Nzenwa, alongside Omega Maritime and Energy Limited and Dr. Oluchi Nzenwa (now at large), issued false documents purported to have emanated from GuarantyTrust Bank plc (GTB)
The Commission alleged that Ernest Chibuike had in his possession documents printed from his Instagram message account, which representations he knew or ought to have known to be false.
The prosecution counsel, U.S. Kyari, told the court that the defendant was arrested in a sting operation conducted by the Commission in Ajegunle, Lagos, in May 2024. He was arrested with an iPhone 6 (the device).
The defendant pleaded guilty to the one count charge and admitted in his confessional statement that he was involved in a romance scam with a fake username “Mia Sophie” on Instagram.
The prosecution counsel urges the court to sentence him according to his guilty plea.
Justice Oshodi sentenced the defendant to one-year imprisonment for possessing fraudulent documents contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
“The maximum sentence for your crime is two years imprisonment. Considering the mitigating factors, particularly restitution, your status as a first offender and your age (eighteen), I shall apply a 50% reduction to the maximum sentence, which takes me to one year.
“However, I am sentencing you to one year of community service with the Lagos State Community Service Unit”
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