Two men, Ugwu Chijioke and Ibrahim Adekunle, have been convicted for impersonating officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of an Ikeja Special Offences Court sentenced the convicts to 22 years and eight months imprisonment.
They were arraigned on five counts bordering on impersonation, attempt to obtain property, possession of documents containing false pretence and unlawfully wearing of the EFCC uniform.
EFCC counsel, Mr Abdulhamid Tukur submitted that the defendants had in their possession false documents to impersonate officials of the EFCC and extort unsuspecting members of the public.
He said the offences contravene Sections 8(b), 11(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Section 79(1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Chijioke and Adekunle pleaded guilty, begged the court to temper justice with mercy and promised never to go to their vomits again.
“I am very sorry for the crime I pleaded guilty for, having been in the correctional facility for over a year now, have learnt a lot.
“I am very sorry and I beg the EFCC to forgive me and I will never go back to any crime. I plead with the court to temper justice with mercy,” the first defendant had said.
“My lord, am already guilty of this case and I beg this court to temper justice with mercy. I also beg the EFCC to forgive me,” the second defendant said.
The judge handed down a sentence of seven years each on count one to three, one year on count four and eight months on count five. Abike-Fadipe also ordered that the sentences should run concurrently.
