LAGOS COURT SENTENCES MAN TO 50 HRS COMMUNITY SERVICE OVER POSSESSION OF FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS

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By: Sefiu Ajape

Justice O.A. Fadipe of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced one Abdulrahman Murphy Usifo to 50 hours of community service for possession of fraudulent documents.

Usifo 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 cybercrime and possession of fraudulent documents.

The charge 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.”

The defendant pleaded “guilty” to the charge.

Following the plea, prosecution counsel I.G. Akhanolu presented the facts of the case, disclosing that the EFCC had received an intelligence report on a suspected case of computer-related fraud against the defendant

“On receipt of the intelligence, the same was analyzed and found worthy of investigation,” Akhanolu said.

He explained that a sting operation was carried out at Festac Town, Lagos, on May 27, 2025, leading to Usifo’s arrest. At the point of arrest, an iPhone 15 Pro Max and an HP laptop were recovered from him.

The defendant was taken to the EFCC’s Lagos office where he made voluntary statements under 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,” Akhanolu said.

He also admitted to having received $500 from the fraudulent scheme.

A forensic examination conducted on the devices revealed fraudulent documents containing false pretences, which were printed from his devices.

Akhanolu further informed the court that the defendant had made restitution by submitting a bank draft of ₦500,000.

The prosecution tendered the defendant’s statements, mobile phone, laptop, bank draft, and forensic reports, which were admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits by the court.

Justice Fadipe thereafter convicted Usifo and sentenced him to 50 hours of community service, to be supervised by a Correctional Centre.

The court also directed that his name be entered into the Public Offenders Register.

Additionally, Usifo was ordered to sign an undertaking with the EFCC never to commit any financial crime within or outside Nigeria.

His iPhone 15 Pro Max, HP laptop, and the bank draft were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government.