Tobias Sylvester
The FCT High Court in Gwagwalada has ordered a student, Istifanus Irmiya to clean the premises of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for two weeks as a consequence of his involvement in internet fraud.
Irmiya was arraigned on Thursday by the EFCC on charges of cheating and impersonation, to which he pleaded guilty and appealed for leniency from the court.
Justice Aliyu Shafa, delivering the judgment, found Irmiya guilty and sentenced him to clean the EFCC’s premises daily from 9 am to 12 noon for two weeks.
The judge also ordered Irmiya to pay a fine of N100,000, and to burn the phone used by the convict to perpetuate the crime.
“I have carefully listened to the plea of allocutus made by the convict and the defence counsel.
“The rate of internet fraud through Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, among others in society is so alarming. That he is a first-time offender is not an excuse to go scot-free.
“The rate of Yahoo-Yahoo among youths is alarming. Many who resort to crime always have the ‘I want to get rich quick’ mindset. Sending him to prison might make him more hardened,” the judge ruled.
Istifanus Irmiya, in his plea to the court, expressed remorse for his actions and requested mercy, assuring that he would never engage in such activities again.
“I want to beg the court for mercy. I’m deeply sorry for what I have done. I’m a changed person now knowing fully well the consequences of my offence,” he said.
The defense counsel, Mr. Chibuike Chima, supported the convict’s allocutus and informed the court that Irmiya had no prior criminal record and had shown genuine remorse.
“Irmiya is the only son of the family and he is seeking admission into the university. He has spent one month in EFCC custody.
“The convict has shown remorse and genuinely repented over the crime he has committed by way of expressing genuine repentance, he has restituted the proceeds of crime which is the sum of 250 Euros.
“The convict is a first-time offender. He has not been convicted for any other crime of whatever kind. We urge my lord to temper justice with mercy.
“We assure this court that going forward, the convict will be of good behaviour,” Chima pleaded.
The EFCC Counsel, Ms. Taiwo Aromolaran, informed the court that Irmiya had committed the offense of cheating by impersonation.
Aromolaran stated that the convict deceived his victim by posing as a Caucasian woman named Mistress Clara.
She explained that Irmiya engaged in fraudulent activities, leading a German individual named Alex Lexis to transfer 250 Euros to him via PayPal and Nosh Apps, which he subsequently transferred to his own account with Polaris Bank.
She said the convict sometime in 2022, also had in his possession documents containing false-pretence, where he represented himself as a German on his Facebook and KK accounts, created by him with the intent to induce Alex Lexis to deliver money to him.
The offense committed by the convict, according to Aromolaran, violated the provisions of the Penal Code Act of the Federation (Abuja) 1990, under Section 321, and is punishable under Section 324 of the same Act.
It also contravened Section 6 in conjunction with Section 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
Aromolaran requested the court to order the forfeiture of the cell phone used by the convict for the crime, highlighting the rise in the prevalence of internet fraud in Nigeria and the involvement of syndicates in such activities.
KanyiDaily had also reported how EFCC arrested 19 undergraduates of the Akwa Ibom State University for suspected internet-related offences, otherwise known as “Yahoo Yahoo.”
