A 300-Level Mechanical Engineering student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta in Ogun State, Olalekan Oladapo Ogunremi, was on Wednesday found guilty of criminal impersonation and sentenced to six months in prison.
Justice Patricia Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Ibadan had reduced the one year jail term to six months, following an appeal by the counsel to Ogunremi.
The judge succumbed to his lawyer’s passionate plea that his client had missed two examination sessions owing to the criminal charge filed against him by the Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The 21-year-old student had pleaded guilty to the one-count amended charge with which he was arraigned on Wednesday, consequent upon a plea bargain arrangement between him and the Commission.
The offence contravenes Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015, and punishable under Section 22 (2)(iv) of the same Act.
Following his ‘guilty’ plea, the prosecution counsel, Babatunde Sonoiki prayed the court to sentence Ogunremi according to the terms contained in the plea bargain agreement he and the defence lawyer, Tunde Lawal, jointly signed.
Though the judge reduced the jail term, she upheld other proposed punishments contained in the agreement, including forfeiture of items recovered during his arrest and investigation, and restitution of sums in foreign currency to his victims.
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