Student, 23, jailed 18 months for online dating scam

An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Thursday sentenced a 100-level university part-time student of computer science, Emmanuel Victor, to 18 months imprisonment for an online dating scam.

Justice Rahman Oshodi sentenced Victor to 18 months’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of fraudulent documents professed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Oshodi, however, gave the convict the option of a four million naira fine.

Oshodi, while delivering the judgement, said he did not believe that the convict committed the offence out of necessity.

He, however, said he would reduce his sentence by 20 percent.

Oshodi said the convict would forfeit all items recovered from him, including the phones, ATM card, and manager’s check, to the Federal Government.

Earlier, the EFCC counsel, Mr. Abubakar Dambua, in his review of facts, told the court that the commission received an intelligence report on Sept. 15, 2023, about the fraudulent activities of the convict and others.

Dambuwa said a raid was carried out, and the convict was arrested.

He listed items recovered from him to include iPhone 13 deep blue colour, a Samsung phone and ATM card and managers cheque and fraudulent documents, among others.

Dambua, thereafter, sought to tender all items recovered from the convict as evidence before the court.

The defence counsel, Ms E. A. Ukpai, did not object to the admissibility of items recovered from the convict.

The judge asked the convict how he did the scam and he told the court that he created a false account in the name of ‘Agent Fred Smith’ on Facebook.

The convict said, “I asked the unsuspecting victims to apply for the Social Economic Grant Programme, and I asked them to pay processing and delivery.

”I used$7,000 to resettle my family.

“We used to stay in a plank house, and I used the money to provide better accommodations and pay for my school fees.

“I am sorry for my fraudulent activities, and I promise not to go back to crime if given another chance.

Ukpai, in her allocutus, said the convict had realised his mistake and had become remorseful.

She said the convict was a first-time offender.

“We pray to the court to temper justice with mercy and grant him a non-custodial sentence because his mother is not well,” Ukpai said.