Etim Ekpimah
The Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has secured the conviction and sentencing of one Dadeowo Hassan before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on two amended charges of possession of fraudulent documents used to perpetrate internet fraud.
Count one read: “Dadeowo Hassan, on or about the 4th day of May 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession a document titled MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR, which was printed out of your email address rdhfdfgd21@gmail.com.”
The second count reads: “Dadeowo Hassan, on or about the 4th day of May 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession a document titled MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR, which was printed from your Hewlett-Packard laptop from a website called UNICC, where you purchased American Citizen social security number.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charges.
Following his plea, the prosecuting counsel, M.S. Owede, gave a review of the facts of the case.
According to him, sometime in May 2021, the EFCC received intelligence report on the activities of internet fraudsters operating at Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lagos.
“Sequel to the intelligence, surveillance was carried out, and this defendant was arrested, with his tools of trade: iPhone X, iPhone 12 Pro Max, a Nokia phone, and a Hewlett-Packard laptop,” he said.
Owede further told the Court that investigation was extended to his email address and documents evidencing false pretence were discovered and printed out in his presence, which he also endorsed.
He, thereafter, tendered in evidence the statement made to the EFCC in the course of the investigation, the bundle of documents printed out from the defendant’s email and a cheque of N500,000 issued by the defendant as part of a plea bargain agreement brought before the Court, which was agreed to by both parties.
The documents were admitted in evidence against him and marked Exhibits P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d, P2, P3, P4 and P5.
Justice Abike-Fadipe, thereafter, found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to one year in prison, with an option of N1million fine and 40 hours of community service.
He is to forfeit to the Federal Government the devices recovered from him, including the N500,000 bank draft.