A family man, Ajie Samuel Chukwudi, has been sentenced to one year imprisonment for possession of a document containing false pretenses by an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
Justice Olubumi Fadipe-Abike sentenced Ajie to one year imprisonment following his guilty plea.
The convict was arraigned before the court on an amended information dated March 27, 2025.
Justice Fadipe, in her judgment, said she had considered that the defendant is a first-time offender and did not waste the time of the court.
“You shall forfeit your iPhone 15 Pro and the sum of $4000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“I sentence you to one year imprisonment, or with an option of N500,000 and 100 hours of community service.
“Where the defendant elects the option of fine and community service, the non-custodial unit of the Nigeria Correctional Service shall transfer the defendant to the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, which shall supervise his community service on the condition that the defendant shows proof of payment of the fine.
”During the trial, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuting counsel, Ahmad Yerima, presented a witness in court, John Daniel, who, in review of facts, informed the court that the defendant was arrested on March 7, 2025, by the Nigeria Police Force Zone 2 and handed over to the commission.
Daniel told the court that he is an EFCC operative attached to the fraud section. He further told the court that under interrogation and after words of caution, the defendant admitted to being involved in a middleman scam. He was moved to the forensic department, where fraudulent documents were printed out from his phone in his presence.
He also told the court that the defendant was arrested with an iPhone 15 Pro and stated that he had benefited the sum of $7000, which he restituted as $4000 in cash.
The EFCC prosecutor tendered in evidence the iPhone, the money restituted in cash (which was counted in court), the letter of transfer of the suspect from the Nigeria Police, the statement of the defendant, and the fraudulent documents printed out from his phone. The prosecutor prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant according to his guilty plea.
The defense counsel, Makinde, did not object.
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