Dating fraud: 200-level student sentenced to a year imprisonment

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday sentenced Festus Ojomola, an internet fraudster, to one year imprisonment with hard labour for possessing fraudulent documents and engaging in dating scam.

Ojomola was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Office, in May 2018 following Intelligence report the Commission received on the activities of some persons alleged to be involved in love scam.

The convict was arraigned on February 13, 2019 on an amended two-count charge of possessing, on or about June 29, 2018, hang-out chats wherein he presented himself as Lizzy Miller to one David Waters, a representation he knew to be false.

He was also said to have, on the same day, possessed hang-out chats wherein he presented himself as Lizzy Miller to another Joe Badess, a representation he knew to be false.

Prosecution counsel, G. C. Akaogu, said, “Sometime in May 2018, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission received Intelligence report on the activities of some persons involved in internet scam. The operatives of the Commission swung into action and arrested the defendant with electronic devices such as a laptop, an apple macbook and an Iphone.

“The devices were analysed and documents containing false pretences were found in them. When Ojomola was confronted with the documents, he admitted to be involved in dating scam.”

Akaogu submitted before the court a certified true copy of the Intelligence report dated May 7, 2018, confessional statements of the defendant dated June 29, 2018 and the attestation letter.

He also tendered in evidence the electronic devices and hordes of scanned documents retrieved from the defendant. He urged the court to rule for a forfeiture of the devices to the federal government and convict the defendant.

The defence counsel, A. Eze Ugboaja, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing her client.

Ugboaja noted that “the defendant is a young man of 20 years and a 200-level student of Environmental Management and Toxicology at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and the only son of his mother who is a widow and petty trader striving to raise responsible children.”

Justice Dada convicted the defendant on both counts and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, which commenced from his time of arrest on September 3, 2018, or an option of N200,000 fine and a community service of grass cutting in front of the court premises. Ojomola will also forfeit the devices retrieved from him to the federal government.