Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Benin, Edo State toady convicted and sentenced one Emmanuel Sunday (alias Umoh Sunday Iyang, Iyang Samuel Chukwudi) to seven and half years imprisonment without an option of fine for obtaining money under false pretense.
The convict was arraigned by the Economic and Financial crimes Commission, EFCC, on March 19, 2014 on an 8-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence. He pleaded not guilty to the count charge.
After diligent prosecution, Justice Ajoku found him guilty on the 5-count amended charge and sentenced him to thirty months imprisonment each of the counts. The court also ordered that the convict forfeit his two (2) phones to the Federal Government.
The journey to prison for Emmanuel started when he was arrested in Benin on August 13, 2013 by the Nigerian Army, 4 Brigade/sector 1, Operation Pulo Shield, for posing as an Army Captain to defraud one Igue Endurance of the sum of N1, 545,000.00 (One Million Five Hundred And Forty- Five Thousand Naira) in the pretext that the said amount be used to facilitate her recruitment into the Nigerian Army.
One of the charges read, "That you Emmanuel Sunday ( also known as Umoh Sunday, Inyang Samuel Chukwudi) on or about May, 2013, at Benin within the Jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud did represent yourself to be a captain with the Nigerian Army and obtained the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Naira only(300,000.00) from one Igue Endurance, which said money you used part of it and paid the sum of Eighty Thousand Naira into your Diamond bank plc, account 0001857059, under the pretence that the said sum would be used to get Igue Endurance recruited into Nigerian Army, a pretext which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act".