Nigerian court jails 23-year-old undergraduate US Military impostor

A Kwara High Court sitting in Ilorin on Friday sentenced a Nigerian undergraduate, Abdulsalam Oyeyemi, to one-year in Correctional Centre for impersonation as an American Military officer to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

The Ilorin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on July 29, arraigned Oyeyemi, 23, on one-count charge, bordering on impersonation and internet scam.

The presiding Judge, Justice Mahmood AbdulGafar, said the court had considered the case of the prosecution, the plea of guilt, entered by the defendant, his extra judicial statements and the exhibits tendered and found merit in them.

AbdulGafar thereafter sentenced Oyeyemi to a year imprisonment, to be served in Mandala Correctional Centre, Ilorin.

“The sentence is without option of fine,” the judge added.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s iPhone and Manager’s cheque of N200,000, which he raised as restitution to the Federal Government.

One of the charge read: “That you, Abdulsalam Oyeyemi (a.k.a Colt Williams, James Anderson), sometimes in March, 2020, dishonestly induced one Cristina Gobin, a white lady, to send you bitcoins, worth the sum of $1,255 Canadian.

“When you knowingly pretended and represented yourself to be one James Anderson, an American Military Messenger, who is in charge of her husband, Colt Williams’ internet connection.

“When you had earlier represented yourself to be the said Cristina Gobin, as the said Colt Williams, an American Marine Officer who is in a romantic relationship with her.

“Thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code laws of Northern Nigeria.”

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.

Counsel to the EFCC, Aliyu Adebayo, led an operative of the commission to review the facts of the case.

In the process, incriminating materials found on the defendant upon arrest were tendered and admitted in evidence.

These included the defendant’s extra judicial statements, fraudulent messages printed out of his phones and the manager’s cheque (bank draft) of N200,000, which he raised as restitution to the victim. (NAN)