by ‘Jola Sotubo

A man arrested for fraudulently impersonating an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has received his comeuppance in court.

Mohammed Umar was found guilty of the charges proffered against him and as such has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Plateau State High Court.

Umar, who earned the nickname “Terror”, was convicted on charges of impersonation, conspiracy and obtaining money through false pretence.

Vanguard Newspaper reports:

The suspect was arrested in October 2008 following intelligence report that he had been posing as an operative of the EFCC and extorting top government functionaries in Bauchi, Gombe and Sokoto States under the pretext that he had damning petitions against them.

Umar cajoled several of them into wiring funds into his account with a promise to help stop any investigations into the petitions.

He is reported to have connived with one Mustspha Abdullahi, now at large, in 2008 and swindled the Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor by falsely pretending to hold the office of an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

According to the prosecution, the offence is punishable under Sections 8(a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006”.

In his ruling, Justice Dakwak affirmed that the prosecution had proved the case against the accused beyond doubt and accordingly pronounced him guilty on all three counts.