Student jailed 14 months for online love scam

Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Special Offences Court on Wednesday sentenced a 20-year-old undergraduate, Ganiyu Alabi, to one year and two months imprisonment for engaging in an online love scam.

The judge sentenced him, following his plea bargain agreement to the charge of possession of fraudulent documents.

Alabi is to serve his jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, in Lagos.

 Oshodi, while delivering the judgment, said he had considered the effect of cybercrime which damaged Nigeria’s international reputation.

He also said he had taken into consideration the timely plea bargain entered into by the convict which had saved judicial time and resources. However, he noted that he did not believe the convict was genuinely sorry because he lied to the court.

He said: “I do not believe you are genuinely sorry because you lied to this court that you started Internet fraud this year whereas in your confessional statement, it showed you started in 2023.

“Having been convicted of the charge of possession of fraudulent documents, I hereby sentence you to one year and two months imprisonment or pay an N1m fine.

“You shall also serve two months of community service with the Lagos State Community Service Unit and a report of activity shall be submitted at the end of the service.

“You shall also be registered as an offender in the state.”

Earlier, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission counsel, Mr Ahmad Usman, in his review of facts, told the court that the convict was arrested in a sting operation in Lekki, sometime in April.

Usman said that the convict had in his possession fraudulent documents in which he represented himself as one Leana Decker, a white female, to unsuspecting members of the public.

He stated that the convict, in his confessional statement, admitted to having engaged in a dating scam via Facebook in which he had benefitted $1000.

The prosecutor further tendered bundles of fraudulent documents which were tendered in evidence following no objections from defence counsel.

The prosecutor also told the court that the convict had restituted N500,000 to the anti-graft agency.

According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened Section 320 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.