Court sentences 18-yr-old student to 1 month in prison for cybercrime

JUSTICE Modupe Osho-Adebiyi of FCT High Court Gudu, on Thursday, sentenced an  18-year-old student, to one month in prison for engaging in cybercrime activities.

Onuoha pleaded guilty and was convicted on a count charge of cybercrime contrary and punishable under section 95 of the Penal Code.

Osho-Adebiyi however, gave the convict an option to pay N30,000 fine.

Delivering judgment, the judge added that the convict should write an undertaking never to get involved in such acts.

In his plea for leniency on behalf of the convict, the defence counsel, Mr Adaji Abel had told the court that the convict was a first time offender who had shown remorse.

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Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) prosecutor, Mr Aliyu Usman had told the court that the convict was arrested after an intelligence report was made to the Commission.

The report had stated that a group of persons occupying a certain building in Mararaba were engaged in cybercrime activities.

Usman said the convict had represented himself as a fictitious Duane Shawn of Norway but residence in Long Beach California.

He said the convict claimed to work as a hydrographic surveyor with fictitious email accounts

According to  Aliyu Rafindadi, a detective attached to the Commission who had testified in court, the convict’s Instagram account was opened in respect of payments.

“Some documents were printed out where the defendant had appended his signatures,’’ he said.

The witness also said that certificate of notification was also printed out, among other items discovered.

Usman said that the defendant was arrested on Jan. 10, and the case was filed in court on Jan.18.