EXTRA: Court orders businessman to clean church for 90 days over attempted fraud

March 1, 2022 6:53 pm

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court has ordered one Ejaigu Doland, a 27-year-old businessman, to clean the premises of Saint John Mary Vianney Catholic Church, Kubwa, for 90 days.

Doland had pleaded guilty to the allegations preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and begged the court for leniency.

Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Kezziah Ogbonnaya, the presiding judge, ordered Doland to report to the church at 9am daily.

Mariya Sherriff, EFCC counsel, had earlier informed the court that a plea bargain agreement had been signed by the defence counsel, Calistus Aneke, and the terms were adopted.

She said the agreement is pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), adding that Doland agreed to forfeit proceeds of the crime to the federal government.

“The proceeds include a N300, 000 bank draft, his HP laptop, iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy cell phone,” she said.

The prosecution counsel said the accused created a social media account and misrepresented himself to be Elliott Camfield, a cryptocurrency expert, with intention to defraud a foreigner in September 2021.

The offence, the prosecution counsel said, contravened the provisions of Section 320 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 322.

She prayed the court to sentence Doland accordingly.

However, the defence counsel told the court that his client was remorseful, having spent a long weekend in the correctional centre.

“My client has seen life differently within the period of his stay in the correctional facility and has taken out time to reflect on his misdeeds,” he said.

“I urge the court to give him a second chance and temper justice with mercy as he has accepted his wrong by pleading guilty.”

In her ruling, the judge held that “failure to perform the community service would lead to a reversal of the sentence to a correctional facility”.

She warned him to desist from committing crimes and be of good behaviour.