The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced Ugwu Chijioke and Ibrahim Adekunle to a combined 46-year jail term for impersonating operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and executing a fake court order.
According to a statement by the EFCC on its Facebook page on Sunday, the convicts were apprehended in May 2021 at New Horizon Estate, Lekki, Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the commission.
During their arrest, they were caught carrying out an illegal operation, and exhibits such as fake EFCC identity cards, jackets, and a court order allegedly from the Mushin Magistrate Court were recovered from them.
The Lagos Command of the EFCC arraigned Chijioke and Adekunle before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe on October 12, 2021, on an amended five counts, including impersonation, attempted property fraud, possession of false documents, and unlawful wearing of the EFCC uniform.
The charges included, attempting to obtain property by false pretence, claiming that the ‘Chief Magistrate Court, Lagos State Judiciary, Mushin, Lagos’ had issued an order to seize and seal a property at New Horizon Estate, Lekki-Ikate, Lagos, pending the arrival of Oriyomi Johnson.
Unlawfully wearing a jacket bearing the official mark of the EFCC to convey the impression of holding authority within the commission.
Both suspects pleaded guilty to the charges. Following their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid Tukur, reviewed the case facts and requested the court to deliver a guilty verdict and impose the corresponding sentences.
Justice Abike-Fadipe found the defendants guilty on all counts and sentenced them each to seven years on counts one to three, one year on count four, and eight months on count five. The sentences are to run concurrently.
In a related incident the Nasarawa State Police Command arrested three fake EFCC officials in the Nasarawa Local Government Area. These suspects had attacked the Federal Polytechnic in the Nasarawa LGA, robbing people of their belongings and abducting a National Diploma student, Adudu Kingsley.
The suspects were arrested following efforts by officers of the command, leading to the release of the victim.
Subscribe to National Updates for more News.
