Justice O.A. Fadipe of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has convicted and sentenced one Abdulrahman Murphy Usifo to 50 hours community service for possession of fraudulent documents.
He was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie-Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos, on a one -count charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents and cybercrimes.
The count read “ABDULRAHMAN MURPHY USIFO, on or about the 27th May, 2025 in Lagos, within the Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, with a dishonest intent, had in your possession Gmail account titled “Remittance of Funds”, wherein you represented yourself as Mr. Attilio Traidi, and other related documents for an online benefit, printed from your HP-Laptop, which you knew or ought to know to be false thereby committed an offence Possession of fraudulent documents contrary to Section 320 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. “
He pleaded “guilty” to the charge preferred against him and following his “guilty” plea, prosecution counsel, I.G.Akhanolu reviewed the facts of the case, saying that “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission received an intelligence report alleging a case of computer-related fraud against the defendant.
“On receipt of the intelligence, the same was analyzed and found worthy of investigation.
“The Commission carried out a surveillance to confirm the intelligence and, thereafter, carried out a sting operation at Festac Town , Lagos State , which led to the arrest of the defendant on May 27, 2025. “
Continuing, he told the court that “At the point of arrest, an iPhone 15 pro max and HP laptop was recovered from the defendant.
“The defendant was immediately taken to the Commission’s office at 7A, Okotie-Eboh Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State for an interview.
“Following the interview, he made voluntary statements under words of caution.
“The defendant, in his extra-judicial statements, admitted his involvement in an online benefit scam, wherein he represented himself as one Mr. Attilio Traldi.
“He also admitted to have benefited the sum of $500 ( Five Hundred United States Dollars).
“The investigating team also conducted a forensic examination on the devices recovered from the defendant at the Commission’s forensic examination laboratory and further analysis of his devices revealed that he was in possession of fraudulent documents containing false pretences. The said fraudulent documents were printed out from his iPhone and laptop computer.”
Akhanolu further told the court that the defendant restituted the sum of N500,000( Five Hundred Thousand Naira) by tendering a bank draft.
The prosecution further sought to tender, in evidence, the defendant’s extrajudicial statements, iPhone 15 pro max, Hp laptop , Bank draft , and forensic investigation documents.
Justice Fadipe admitted and marked them as exhibits and went further to convict and sentence the defendant to 50 hours community service to be supervised by a Correctional Centre.
The Judge also ordered that the convict be registered in the Public Offenders Register.
He was also ordered to sign an undertaking with the EFCC never to commit any financial crime within and outside the shores of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Judge also ordered that the bank draft, IPhone 15 pro max mobile phone and HP laptop computer recovered from him be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
