A Federal High Court in Southwest Nigeria has sentenced a Civil Engineering graduate, Samuel Oteyowo, to 14 months in prison over N19.7M online fraud.
Oteyowo was dragged before Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the High Court, which sat in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on a one-count amended charge of criminal impersonation for defrauding Warren Doht of N19,664,128.50 via the internet.
Justice Ayo-Emmanuel pronounced the 32-year-old guilty as charged.
The accused person was said to have committed a crime contrary to Section 22(2) (b) (ii) of the Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) of the same Act.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan Zonal Office, however, stated that the convict had, however, approached the Commission for a plea bargain agreement.
The plea bargain agreement, Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, said, “Formed the basis for the amended charge with which he was arraigned and convicted on Monday.”
After pleading guilty to the amended charge, prosecution counsel, Murtala Usman, urged the court to convict him accordingly.
Apart from the jail term, the court also ordered Oteyowo to restitute the N19,664,128.50 to the victim of his crime.
