Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced the trio of Adekunle Akinsinde Alabi, Bakare Taofeek Ajibola and Olawepo Segun Ayinde to two years imprisonment each for currency counterfeiting to the tune of US$269.000.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said in a statement that the court sentenced the trio on Monday, June 26.
They initially pleaded “not guilty” to the four-count charge preferred against them, the EFCC said.
“However, in the face of the overwhelming evidence against them, they changed their “not guilty” plea to “guilty”, thereby prompting the need to amend the charges,” the statement read in part.
Following their guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, G.C. Akaogu, called on Okara Godwin, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts.
Okara told the court that the defendants were arrested sometime in January 2023.
“Upon their arrest, they wrote their statements, investigations were conducted and forensic evidence documented.”
Akaogu further applied to tender, in evidence, their extrajudicial statements, admission of confessional statement forms, counterfeit notes and forensic investigation documents from the EFCC laboratory.
Justice Oweibo admitted them as exhibits A,B,C,D and E and convicted the defendants as charged.
The defence counsel, Mercy Akhabue Ozumobi, pleaded for leniency, saying, “They are ignorant and were used. They are bread winners in their homes and are remorseful for their actions.”
Justice Oweibo sentenced the defendants to two years imprisonment each, effective from the date of arrest in January, with an option of N500,000 fine.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the NDLEA in collaboration with the EFCC on January 19, 2023, in the Oniru area of Lagos state, following intelligence reports received from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
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