Peter Ayigi Againpriye, an undergraduate of the University of Calabar, has been found guilty and sentenced by Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The charges against him included impersonation, obtaining money through false pretence, and possession of fraudulent documents, all in violation of Section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.
On Monday, July 17, 2023, Peter Ayigi Againpriye pleaded “guilty” to the three counts brought against him by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Following his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, E. K. Ebipade presented a witness and submitted various documents as evidence to support the case.
The evidence included an iPhone 12 Pro Max, an iPhone XR, the defendant’s statement, a consent form to search his devices, a certificate of compliance, and fraudulent documents printed from the defendant’s Instagram account.
The court accepted all the submitted documents as exhibits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
During the proceedings, Albert Kukah, an operative of the EFCC and the first prosecution witness (PW1), testified that the defendant was apprehended in June 2023 during an operation code-named “Eagle Sweep” at Golf Estate in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
It was disclosed through the investigation that the defendant engaged in internet fraud, creating multiple Gmail, Instagram, and Facebook accounts while impersonating Diana Wilson in fraudulent conversations with Keess Van Darr, whom he defrauded of €3,000 Euros.
Based on the submitted evidence and PW1’s testimony, the prosecution requested that the court convict and sentence the defendant as charged.
The defence counsel, B. J. Jeoffrey did not oppose the prosecution’s request but urged the court to show mercy.
Justice Obile, after due consideration, found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to one year in prison for each count, with an option to pay a fine of Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000.00) for each count.
Additionally, the judge ordered the forfeiture of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone XR recovered from the convict to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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