Court Jails Student for Impersonation, Cyber Crime

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Stanley Morrkua, aka Michael Scales before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on a one-count charge bordering on internet fraud.

The convict was arrested alongside members of his syndicate by operatives of the Commission in a sting operation around Jaji, Kaduna State.

The count reads, “that you, Stanley Morrkua, male, on or about the 31st day of May 2021 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable  Court, fraudulently impersonated one Major Michael Scales of the United States of America Army, when you created a Facebook account with the name Michael Scales and had correspondences with unsuspecting women, in such assumed character as Major Michael Scales to gain advantage for yourself as a military personnel of the United States of America which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 142 (1) of the Penal Code Law, 2017 of  Kaduna State and punishable under same law”.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge. Given his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Y.J Matiyak urged the judge to convict him accordingly. Justice Khobo however convicted and sentenced the defendant to 5 years imprisonment with an option N 150,000 fine. He is also to forfeit to the Federal Government all gadgets used to perpetrate the crime, including one HP Laptop and an Infinity S5.