A 31-year-old man, Lawal Babangida, has been sentenced to six months in prison by a Grade I Area Court in Dei-Dei, Abuja, for impersonating a military officer.
The court on Thursday charged Babangida, a resident of Tungamaji village, Abuja, with offenses including impersonation, criminal intimidation, and extortion.
During the court proceedings, the accused pleaded guilty to the charges and appealed for leniency, stating, “Please forgive me, my lord, I plead for mercy, sir. I will not commit any crime again.”
Area Court Judge Saminu Suleiman, considering the guilty plea, issued a sentence of six months imprisonment for Babangida.
The judge also provided the option of a N6,000 fine but sternly warned the convict against engaging in criminal activities after serving the sentence.
In narrating the incident, the prosecutor, Mr. Chinedu Ogada, informed the court that the complainant, Usman Zaiyanu of Tomato Junction Zuba, Abuja, reported the matter to Zuba Police Station on November 11.
According to Ogada, on the same date around 9:30 pm, the convict approached the complainant at Zuba Tomato Junction, falsely identifying himself as a military officer.
The prosecutor detailed that Babangida criminally threatened the complainant, forcibly took his cell phone and N10,000 in cash.
Ogada further noted that the convict made confessional statements during police investigations.
The offenses committed by Babangida were found to be in violation of Sections 132, 321, and 292 of the Penal Code.
