A 24-year-old Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) holder and graphic artist, Roland Esin Mana, was sentenced to six months imprisonment for Internet scam, yesterday.
The trial judge, Ismail Ijelu of a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, sentenced Mana for impersonation on Facebook and defrauding unsuspecting citizens.
He was sentenced following his plea bargain agreement to a charge of impersonation brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC had charged him for possessing documents containing false pretences wherein he represented himself as Linh Nguyen, an Asian lady, to defraud Dang Xuan whom he met on Facebook
The anti-graft agency said his offence was contrary to the provision of Section 320 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
He pleaded guilty to the charge.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr N. C. Mutfwang, while reviewing facts of the case, told the court that the commission received an intelligence report sometime in March 2024, that some young persons were involved in Internet fraud; they had no legitimate source of income and were living an exotic lifestyle, defrauding innocent citizens.
He said the convict was arrested. His phone was analysed under forensic tools and some fraudulent documents were printed from his email account.
Mutfwang told the court that the convict confessed to having created fake Instagram and Facebook accounts wherein he represented himself as Linh Nguyen and Nguyen Ohuc.
He thereafter tendered the convict’s extrajudicial statement, Infinix Smart 9 phone, HP laptop and letter of plea bargain agreement as exhibit.
Justice Ijelu admitted them after the defendant’s counsel raised no objection.
The judge held: “The court is satisfied that the defendant understands the plea bargain agreement and accordingly, the defendant is hereby found guilty.”
Justice Ijelu ordered that his phone and laptop be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Prior to sentencing, the convict pleaded for mercy and prayed the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Ijelu, therefore, gave him an option of fine of N250,000 in lieu of the sentence.
