PREMIUM TIMES
The Kaduna State High Court in Kaduna, the state capital, has convicted a fake United States military officer, Zulayman Haruna, for Internet fraud.
Mr Haruna, who was convicted on Wednesday, was charged with one count of falsely presenting himself as Mariee Guerrero, a white female military personnel, to many unsuspecting victims on Facebook in order to cheat them.
He pleaded guilty according to a statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, the trial judge, A.A Bello, EFCC convicted and sentenced him on Wednesday.
The convict was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with an option of fine of N150,000.
The judge also ordered him to forfeit an iPhone X, the tool used for the crime, to the federal government through the EFCC.
The agency said Mr Haruna was prosecuted and convicted under section 57 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law of 2017, which the offence violated. The crime is punishable under section 309 of the same law, according to the charge filed against the convict.
Read EFCC’s full statement below:
EFCC PRESS RELEASE
Court Jails Fake US Military Officer, One Other in Kaduna.
Justice A.A Bello of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna, on Wednesday, November 30, 2023, convicted and sentenced a fake United States military officer, Zulayman Haruna to two year imprisonment.
He was jailed after pleading guilty to one-count charge of internet fraud upon being arraigned by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The one- count charge reads: “That you Zulayman Haruna (a.k.a Mariee Guerrero) between January and October, 2023 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, attempted to commit an offence and in such an attempt did a certain act towards the commission of the said offence, to wit: falsely presented yourself as Mariee Guerrero a white female military personnel to one Greg and other several unsuspecting victims on Facebook, (a social media application) in order to cheat them and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 57 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law of 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
He pleaded guilty to the charge upon which prosecution counsel, E.K Garba urged the court to convict him accordingly.
Justice Bello convicted and sentenced Haruna to two years imprisonment or an option of fine of N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only). He also forfeited an iPhone X…
