Court rulings 18-yr-old student to 1 month imprisonment

Eniola Olayemi

Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi of FCT High Court Gudu, on Thursday sentenced an 18-year-old student, to one month in prison for engaging in cyber-crime activities.

Onuoha pleaded guilty and was convicted on a count charge of cyber-crime contrary to and punishable under section 95 of the Penal Code.

Osho-Adebiyi however, gave the convict an option to pay N30, 000 fine.

Delivering judgment, the judge added that the convict should write an undertaking never to get involved in such acts again.

In his plea for leniency on behalf of the convict, the defense counsel, Mr. Adaji Abel had told the court that the convict was a first time offender who had shown remorse.

Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) prosecutor, Mr. Aliyu Usman had told the court that the convict was arrested after intelligence report was made to the Commission.

The report had stated that a group of persons occupying a certain building in Mararaba were engaged in cybercrime activities.

Usman said the convict had represented himself as a fictitious Duane Shawn of Norway resident in Long Beach California.

He said the convict claimed to work as a hydro graphic surveyor with fictitious email accounts

According to Aliyu Rafindadi, a detective attached to the Commission who had testified in court, the convict’s instagram’s account was opened in respect of payments.

“Some documents were printed out where the defendant had appended his signatures,’’ he said.

The witness also said that certificate of notification was also printed out, among other items discovered.

Usman said that the defendant was arrested on Jan. 10, and the case was filed in court on Jan.18.