Justice Sherifat Solebo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced one Ayodeji Samuel Alaja to nine months’ imprisonment for possession of fraudulent documents and internet fraud.
The judge gave Alaja a reduced sentence after he pleaded guilty to the one-count charge levelled against him and entered a plea bargain.
Alaja was brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accusing him of Internet fraud.
The count charge said: “That you, Ayodeji Samuel Alaja, sometime in 2019 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly had in your possession documents containing false pretence.”
The prosecution counsel, Ebareotu Pereagbe, informed the court that the convict had entered into a plea bargain with the commission and he urged the court to adopt the plea bargain agreement.
Alaja’s counsel prayed the court to “temper justice with mercy” in sentencing him, saying, “My Lord, my client has three kids and a pregnant wife whose wellbeing depends on the convict.”
Justice Solebo, after listening to both parties, convicted and sentenced the defendant to nine months in jail without an option of fine.
The judge also ordered that the items recovered from the convict be forfeited to the federal government.
