An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced two men, Ugwu Chijioke and Ibrahim Adekunle, to 22 years imprisonment for impersonating officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe sentenced the duo to 22 years and eight months imprisonment.
The sentence followed their plea bargain agreement to the five counts bordering on impersonation, attempt to obtain property, possession of documents containing false pretence and unlawfully wearing of the EFCC uniform .The judge sentenced them to seven years each on count one to three, one year on count four and eight months on count five.She, however, ordered that the sentences should run concurrently.Earlier, the EFCC counsel, Mr Abdulhamid Tukur, in his review of facts, urged the court to convict the defendants as charged and sentenced accordingly.Tukur submitted that the defendants had in their possession false documents to impersonate officials of the EFCC and extorted unsuspecting members of the public.
He said the items recovered from the defendants at the point of arrest included fake EFCC identity cards, jackets, and a court order purported to have emanated from Mushin Magistrate Court.The convicts, in their plea for mercy, urged the court to temper justice with mercy and promised never to go to their vomits again.“I am very sorry for the crime I pleaded guilty for, having been in the correctional facility for over a year now, have learnt a lot.“I am very sorry and I beg the EFCC to forgive me and I will never go back to any crime.“I plead with the court to temper justice with mercy,” the first defendant had said.“My lord, am already guilty of this case and I beg this court to temper justice with mercy“I also beg the EFCC to forgive me,” the second defendant said.According to the EFCC, the offences contravene Sections 8(b), 11(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Section 79(1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.(NAN)
