The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, secured the conviction of Arowosegbe Feranmi, who claimed to be a native of Offa in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State for posing as a citizen of Germany to defraud unsuspecting victims.
Arowosegbe was prosecuted on two counts before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
But when the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded guilty to the offence.
One of the charges reads: ‘’That you AROWOSEGBE FERANMI (ALIAS BETTY JOE) sometime in August 2021, in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be Betty Joe, a white female, resident in United States of America, with Gmail Account bettyjoe338@gmail.com and induced one Joluko, a German Citizen, to send €370 (Three Hundred Euros) to you Via Gift Card and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code.’’
Following his guilty plea, the prosecuting EFCC lawyer , Rashidat Alao, urged the court to consider the plea of guilt entered by the defendant, his extra-judicial statements and the uncontroverted testimonies of the sole prosecution witness to convict him in line with the plea bargain agreements and the provisions of the law.
In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar held that, “The court has found merit in the case brought by the prosecution”. The judge consequently convicted and sentenced Arowosegbe to six months imprisonment on each of the two counts to run concurrently at Mandala Correctional Centre, which should be suspended.
The judge then said, “The convict is to forfeit the iPhone 11 used to perpetrate the crime and the sum of N300,000, which he benefited from the crime to the Federal Government.
