by Rachel Ogbu

A 31-year-old man has received a 45 year sentenced without an option of fine for stealing Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola’s Sony Ericson phone.

The sentenced came yesterday at an Osogbo High Court after Kelvin Igha-Igbodalo had committed the crime in 2010 during the swearing-in ceremony of the governor.

For a while, Igha-Igbodalo had used the phone to deceive people asking them to pay money into a particular bank account pretending it was the governor’s order.

According to reports, Igha-Igbodalo who had served time in Lagos for murder was eventually arrested and charged with six counts of conspiracy, obtaining properties by false pretence, stealing, impersonation and advance free fraud.

“Kelvin and others now at large in May 24th, 2011 impersonated the governor by using his phone with intent to defraud, and obtained the sum of N500,000 from his royal majesty, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, Owa-Obokun of Ijesha land,” the charge sheet read.

Igha-Igbodalo pleaded guilty to the charges but counsel to the convict, Ameachi Ngwu, requested the court to hand over community service sentence instead.

However, the prosecution, Biodun Badiora, maintained that Igha-Igbodalo’s crime was contrary to section 8(c) and is punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Free Fraud and other related offences Act, 2006.

However, the accused, who faced six-count charge and was subsequently sentenced to 10 years each for the first three count, also bagged five years jail term for each of the last three counts. But the sentence would run concurrently. Which means, the convict would spend 10 prison years in jail.