Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of an Ikeja Special Offences Court yesterday sentenced two men, Ugwu Pascal Chijioke and Ibrahim Adekunle, to seven years imprisonment each for impersonating officials of the Economic and Finacial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The convicts were also said to have attempted to use a forged order of the court to fraudulently obtain properties from their victims by pretending to be EFCC officials.

The defendants were arraigned before the court on a five-count charge.

The offences border on obtaining properties from citizens, possession of documents containing false pretence titled Chief Magistrate court, possession of documents containing false pretence titled the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), impersonation of EFCC officials and unlawfully wearing uniform of the EFCC.

When the charges were read, the defendants pleaded guilty to the five count charge.

Following their guilty plea, the prosecuting counsel, Abdulhamid Lamido, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

“My Lord upon the guilty plea of the defendants and the evidence before the court, I urge my Lord to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.”

Justice Abike-Fadipe asked the defendants if they understood the charges to which they pleaded guilty. The defendants answered in affirmative.

Justice Abike-Fadipe convicted the defendants on the charge of “attempt to obtain properties by false pretence.”

In their plea for leniency, the convicts asked the court to have mercy on them and promised not to go back to crime again.

Apart from claiming to be renewed persons, the 1st defendant claimed to have received training and become a barber.

END.