Man jailed one year for online romance scam

The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a man Nonso Ekeocha to one year imprisonment for an online romance scam.

Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, who handed down the verdict, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had proved the one count of possession of fraudulent documents Ekeocha used to perpetrate romance scams beyond a reasonable doubt.

Earlier when Ekeocha was arraigned, the EFCC told the court that the convict with intent to defraud had in his possession, an ‘Instagram Profile Account’ wherein he presented himself as Ronald Gregory, and other related documents for an online dating scam, which he knew or ought to know to be false.

The anti-graft agency said that Ekeocha committed the offence on June 27, 2024, in Lagos.
According to the commission, the offence committed contravened Section 320 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

However, the convict pleaded guilty to the charge.

Following his guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, Ikhuoria Akhanolu, prayed the court to review the facts of the case and called his witness.
The witness, who is an operative of the commission, Ismail Saifullahi, told the court that the convict was arrested on June 29, 2024, alongside others who engaged in computer-related fraud in Lagos.
He said when the convict was arrested and brought to the EFCC office, an iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung S-10 phone were recovered from him during the arrest.

He said, “The phone was analysed through forensic examination, and the analysis revealed fraudulent documents.

“The convict was involved in an online dating scam wherein he represented himself as a male American citizen named Ronald Gregory.

“The convict told the commission that he usually carried out his fraudulent activities online sending love messages randomly to members of the public and those who gain interest in the relationship were asked for financial assistance.”

Akhanolu, however, tendered the convict’s extrajudicial statement and a bundle of fraudulent documents printed out from his mobile device.

Justice Abike-Fadipe admitted them as exhibits and convicted him as charged.
Before giving the verdict, the judge asked the convict to address the court. He pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy and promised never to engage in Internet fraud again.

Consequently,  Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced him to one-year imprisonment and gave him an option of a N500,000 fine, and 50 hours of community service.