A FEDERAL High Court which sat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Monday sentenced one Nwalozie Onyebuchi Julius to three years imprisonment without an option of fine for impersonating Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Centra Bank and falsely obtaining the sum of N4.5 million.
Justice Agatha Anulika Okeke convicted the culprit who upon arrest on December 6, 2019, confessed to the crime backed by verified forensic analysis of the HP laptop recovered from him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) which showed several incriminating documents of false pretence and fraudulent extortions which originated from him.
The EFCC arraigned Nwalozie after further investigations by the anti-graft agency revealed that the convict’s speciality was Business Email Compromise-BEC and his modus operandi involved searching for email addresses via Google search engine and sending convincing emails to his victims.
He also confessed to have used a particular email address, (emefielegodwin586@yahoo.com) purportedly belonging to the C.B.N governor, Dr Godwin Emefiele in defrauding one Omar Deep, who thought he was actually dealing with the real C.B.N Governor.
“With intent to obtain money, property or any advantage from one Omar Deep and other unsuspecting persons, the pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (ii) of the Cybercrime (Provision, Prevention Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) (iv) of the same Act,” read the charge.
After review of the facts available to the court, Joshua Abolarin, the prosecuting counsel prayed the court to review the facts of the case through a prosecution witness, Haliru Abubakar Bagudo, an operative of the EFCC.
Nwalozie pleaded guilty as charged and was sentenced to a three- year jail term with effect from the date of his arrest.
The convict forfeited his laptop, including the sum of N1million recovered from him.