Sokoto Court Sentences Nigerian University Student to 10 Years Imprisonment
- The Sokoto State High Court has concluded the hearing in a case against an undergraduate of Sokoto state university, Joseph Oladapo Philips
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused the student of violating sections of the Sokoto state Penal Code Law
- The anti-graft commission disclosed how the defendant fraudulently obtained funds dishonestly from victims
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Sokoto - An undergraduate of the Sokoto State University, Joseph Oladapo Philips, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Sokoto State High Court for internet fraud.
The verdict was delivered on Friday, July 23, 2021, after the student was charged to court by the Sokoto zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the agency said in a statement via Facebook.
Source: Facebook
The verdict
The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Sifawa, found the accused guilty of obtaining over N7 million ($18,700) from two victims under the guise of an American soldier serving in Afghanistan.
The one-count charge against him read:
"That you Joseph Oladapo Philips "male" sometime in 2021 at Sokoto within the judicial division of the High Court of Sokoto State, did fraudulently cheat one Lisa Farley from North Carolina and Joey Jaitrong by dishonestly deceiving them to collect the total sum of $18,700 when you presented yourself to them as a United States soldier deployed to Afghanistan and sending documents of false pretence to them via your Instagram platform which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 310 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 311 of the same Law.''
Philips pleaded guilty to the charge and the court convicted and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment with an option of N500, 000.
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The convict was also ordered to pay the sum of $18,700 United States Dollars as restitution to the victim through the EFCC.
EFCC cautions hotels accommodating cyber-criminals
In another news, EFCC has said that owners of hotels in which cyber-criminals lodge could be in danger of being and imprisoned for about five years upon conviction.
This position by the EFCC came as a reaction to news reports that kicked against its recent operation at a hotel in Lagos, Nigerian Tribune reported.
Giving details of the said operation, the anti-graft agency explained that its officers encountered women in some rooms of a hotel in Lekki who pleaded that they were unclad to stop them from arresting suspects.
Source: Legit.ng
