In a ruling by the Gwagwalada Division of the FCT High Court on Thursday, a 21-year-old student, Adakole Peter, has been sentenced to one year in prison for defrauding a Chinese woman of $50.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had brought forward charges of fraud by impersonation and falsely presenting himself as a military personnel against Peter.
Peter, who pleaded guilty to the charges of fraud, begged the court for leniency during his trial. Justice Aliyu Shafa delivered the judgment, offering Peter the option of a fine amounting to N150,000 in addition to his prison sentence.
The court also mandated Peter to sign an affidavit committing to good behavior and ordered that a Redmi phone used in the commission of the crime be sold, with proceeds deposited into the federal government’s account via the EFCC.
Furthermore, Justice Shafa directed that the $50 recovered from Peter be paid into the federal government’s account.
In his plea for mercy, Peter expressed remorse, stating, “I have repented and realized my mistakes. I plead with the court to temper justice with mercy.”
During the proceedings, Peter’s defense counsel, Bridget Abang, emphasized his plea for leniency, highlighting his remorsefulness and status as a first-time offender.
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The prosecution counsel, I.D. Iloakasia, outlined that Peter had deceived his victim, Ruth Novick, a Chinese citizen, between April and May, under the guise of being a military personnel named Steve M Marks. This deception led Novick to send Peter $50 in gift cards, which he later sold online for N20,000.
The prosecution argued that Peter’s actions violated Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation Abuja, 1990, and were punishable under Section 324 of the same Act. The EFCC had also requested that the money and instrument recovered from Peter be forfeited to the federal government.
(NAN)
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