The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja, on Thursday, convicted two men of impersonating officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to defraud members of the public, with sentencing fixed for 22 July.
Trial judge M. Zubairu convicted Haruna Mamuda and Sadiq Umar after they pleaded guilty to five charges of criminal conspiracy, impersonation and unlawful representation.
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The charges arose from allegations that the defendants falsely presented themselves as EFCC operatives in March and used the assumed identities to deceive unsuspecting members of the public.
According to the prosecution, the two defendants, alongside Salifu Mustapha, who is standing trial separately before an FCT High Court in Kubwa, conspired to impersonate public officers by falsely claiming to be officials of the anti-graft agency. The alleged offence is contrary to Section 96 of the Penal Code Act and punishable under Section 132 of the same Act.
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One of the counts also accused Mr Umar, who is also known as Abubakar Hashimu Umar, of falsely presenting himself as an EFCC officer and using that assumed identity to defraud members of the public, contrary to Section 132 of the Penal Code Act.
When the charges were read, both defendants pleaded guilty.
Following their guilty plea, the prosecution lawyer, R. U. Adagba, urged the court to convict them in line with the law.
Lawyer to the first defendant, Anamegbumam Innocent, appealed for leniency, telling the court that his client had shown remorse, cooperated with investigators and was a married man with children.
Similarly, the lawyer to the second defendant, Bemdo Asan, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that his client had no previous criminal conviction.
In response, Ms Adagba asked the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a deterrent to others who might be tempted to impersonate law enforcement officers.
“My lord, the first defendant is a dismissed member of the Nigerian Army. His sentence will serve as a deterrent to society at large. I also want the court to factor in the judgment that they were brought in from the Department of State Services (DSS), where they are facing separate charges relating to alleged terrorism financing and kidnapping,” she stated.
After listening to both sides, Mr Zubairu convicted the defendants and adjourned the case until 22 July for sentencing.
The judge also ordered that they remain in the custody of the EFCC pending the sentencing hearing.
Two other suspects face trial for allegedly impersonating EFCC operatives
The conviction came on the same day another judge of the FCT High Court, Jude Onwuegbuzie, adjourned until 21 October the trial of two other men, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, who are facing charges of conspiracy, impersonation of an EFCC officer and obtaining $700,000 by false pretence.
The EFCC alleged that Mr Joshua impersonated the Personal Assistant to its Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, and, together with Mr Hashim, approached a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Muhammed Bello Koko, claiming the anti-graft agency was investigating his tenure in office.
The defendants allegedly told the former NPA chief that the EFCC chairman and the commission’s Director of Operations demanded $1 million to halt the investigation before allegedly agreeing to accept $700,000, which they obtained under false pretences.
At Thursday’s proceedings, the prosecution lawyer, Elizabeth Alabi, told the court that although she had earlier obtained leave to play video recordings of the defendants’ extrajudicial statements, the prosecution’s second witness, Akeem Lasisi, was unavailable because he was on an emergency official assignment outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Following her application, Mr Onwuegbuzie adjourned the trial to 21, 22, 26, 28 and 29 October for its continuation.
The conviction followed the defendants’ earlier arraignment by the EFCC over allegations that they posed as officers of the anti-graft agency to deceive members of the public. Their co-defendant, Mr Mustapha, is continuing to stand trial before an FCT High Court in Kubwa on related charges.
The EFCC has repeatedly warned Nigerians to be wary of individuals who falsely claim to be its officers or demand money in the course of investigations. The Commission advises members of the public to verify the identity of anyone claiming to represent it through official channels and to report suspected cases of impersonation to the agency.
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The conviction followed the defendants’ earlier arraignment by the EFCC over allegations that they posed as officers of the anti-graft agency to deceive members of the public. Their co-defendant, Mr Mustapha, is continuing to stand trial before an FCT High Court in Kubwa on related charges.
The EFCC has repeatedly warned Nigerians to be wary of individuals who falsely claim to be its officers or demand money in the course of investigations.
The Commission advises members of the public to verify the identity of anyone claiming to represent it through official channels and to report suspected cases of impersonation to the agency.
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