A Sokoto State High Court has sentenced one Umaru Isma’il to five years imprisonment over his involvement in online fraud and obtaining money through false pretence, an action said to be against the country’s law.
The convict was said to have duped a client identified as Sani Musatune, of N668, 000.00, a development that led to his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) officials.
Isma’il was arraigned before before Justice Bello Duwale of the Sokoto State High Court on eight-count amended charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.
One of the charges against him reads, “that you Umaru Ismaila sometime between the months of March, 2017, June and July, 2018 at Sokoto within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the total sum of N668,000 from one Sani Musa,
“When you falsely represented yourself to him as capable of making him become rich (wealthy) by praying for him, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act”.
However, when the matter was called in court, Isma’il pleaded not guilty to all the charges, adding that the allegations against him were false.
The prosecution counsel, Habila Jonathan, during the course of trial tendered several documents and called six witnesses to prove his case against the convict.
Delivering her judgement, Justice Duwale convicted Isma’il on all the charges and sentenced him to five years on each of the 8 counts without an option of fine, adding that the sentences are to run concurrently.
Duwale also ordered the convict to restitute the N668, 000.00 to the victim through the EFCC, stressing that his jail term would be extend if he failed to refund the money.
