A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, sentenced a man, Ndifreka Edem (a.k.a BNH Nguyen) to 12 months imprisonment for impersonation on Instagram.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Edem before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on a count charge of cyber crime. Edem pleaded guilty to the charge.
Following his guilty plea, the court reviewed the facts of the case, with the prosecutor, Mr Abbas Muhammed, tendering pieces of evidence in support of the case. The court admitted them as exhibits.
The prosecutor then urged the court to convict Edem based on his guilty plea and evidence before it.
The judge accordingly convicted Edem.
Defence counsel, Mr O.E. Odetoki, prayed the court to be lenient on his client in sentencing him.
The judge sentenced the convict to 12 months in prison but gave him an option of N1.5 million fine to be paid into the Federal Government’s consolidated account.
In addition, the court ordered that the convict should carry out 100 hours of community service.
The court also ordered him to forfeit to the Federal Government, the device he used in committing the offence.
EFCC had said that Edem committed the offence on Dec. 7, 2023.
It said that the convict falsely held out himself on Instagram as “BNH Nguyen ” with intent to secure financial instruments to himself, knowing that the representation was false.
The commission said that the offence contravened the provision of Section 22(3 of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act of 2015. (NAN)
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