Man bags 1 yr. jail term over Internet fraud

A Federal High Court in Ibadan has sentenced a man, Segun Soneye to one year in prison over impersonation and internet fraud.

Delivering judgment, Justice Uche Agomoh said that Sonye was convicted and sentenced based on the evidence before the court.

Agomoh said the court also considered the plea bargain agreement he entered with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in convicting him.

This judgment is in line with Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2015 that provides for anyone who enters a plea bargain agreement to be given a reduced sentence.

“I hope that Soneye has truly learnt his lessons and has changed for better.

“He is therefore, sentenced to one year in prison and the sentence starts from the date he was first arrested.

“All the exhibits found in his possession are forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“After completing his jail term, Soneye shall write an undertaking to be of good conduct because he is already known as an ex-convict from now on,” Agomoh said.

Earlier, counsel to the EFCC, Ibadan Zonal office, Mr S.M. Galadanchi, told the court that the convict was arraigned on a-count charge bordering on impersonation.

Galadanchi further said that Soneye committed the crime sometime in June when he was found operating fictitious email address to defraud unsuspecting foreigners of their hard earned money.

He added that the convict was apprehended following a tip-off from concerned Nigerians.

According to the prosecutor, Soneye restituted $475 and an i-phone after many incriminating documents had been printed out from his dubious email address.

Galadanchi stated that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 22(A) and (B) of the Cyber Crime Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2015.