Justice Lateef Lawal Akapo of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Wednesday convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment an impersonator of a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswan. The convict: Joseph Onoja was arraigned on an initial 4-count charge bordering on conspiracy to defraud, personation, forgery and using false document. At the point of arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charges but later changed his plea to”guilty” to an amended one count charge.
Justice Akapo convicted him on the one-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and sentenced him accordingly. The convict was sentenced to 2 years Imprisonment and the sentence will run from the day of his conviction.
Gabriel was arrested by operatives of the EFCC, sometime in 2014 following a petition that he impersonated Suswan. He had attempted to extort money from some foreigners under the pretence of giving them contracts.
Also, he procured a fake international passport bearing the name of the former governor but with his own passport photograph.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
