Man bags five years jail term for employment scam

Justice S. M. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State on October 7, 2021 convicted and sentenced one Obawaeki Jude Isibor to five years imprisonment or a fine of N300,000 for offences bordering on obtaining by false pretence.

The defendant was arraigned by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one court charge of defrauding his victim of N1.8 million through employment scam.

The charge read: “That you Obawaeki Jude Isibor (m) sometime between March and April 2021 in Benin City within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud obtained the aggregate sum of N1,800,000 (one million, eight hundred thousand naira) from Omosigho Sarah Oduna via your bank account number 2022683100 domiciled in First Bank under the false pretence that same was for job opportunities at the Immigration Service for her friends which representation you knew is false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3)of the same Act”.

The defendant pleaded guilty when the charge was read to him.

Based on the plea of the defendant, the prosecution counsel, I. K. Agwai prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant according to the plea bargain agreement between the parties.

Justice Shuaibu convicted and sentenced the defendant to five years imprisonment or a fine of N300,000. The convict is also to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour.