Kwara Court Jails Fashion Designer for Impersonating and Defrauding EFCC Investigator
12-Month Sentence Handed Down for Cybercrime Offenses
Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced 27-year-old fashion designer Haruna Musa Tolani to 12 months imprisonment for impersonating and defrauding Callitus Egwuonwu, an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Case Details
Tolani, an indigene of Ilorin East Local Government Area, was initially arraigned on January 28, 2025 on two counts of impersonation and cybercrime. After initially pleading not guilty, he changed his plea when confronted with overwhelming evidence presented by EFCC counsel Sesan Ola.
The charges stemmed from August 2024 incidents where Tolani:
- Fraudulently purchased N20,000 worth of MTN data using the victim’s Access Bank account
- Impersonated the EFCC officer through USSD transactions
Court Judgment and Penalties
Justice Awogboro delivered the following judgment:
- 12-month custodial sentence with option of N200,000 fine
- Forfeiture of a N200,000 First Bank manager’s cheque to the victim
- Restitution order for the N20,000 fraudulently obtained
The conviction serves as a warning against cybercrime activities in Nigeria, particularly those targeting law enforcement officials.
Credit: Daily Nigerian