According to a statement made public by the EFCC, the defendant was charged with a single count of possessing fake documents, a violation of Section 318 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011, by the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Command.
The count read;
“That you, Tope Peter Obi, sometime on the 8th day of July, 2022 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, had in your possession documents wherein you fraudulently represented yourself as Chris Lane, an American to one Hewitt, a representation of which from the circumstance of this case you knew or reasonably ought to know to be false.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the one-count charge.
The prosecutor, G.C. Akaogu, reviewed the facts in light of the defendant’s plea and explained how intelligence reports had connected the defendant to the alleged crime, leading to his detention and additional investigation.
The prosecution also offered the defendant’s remarks and the things they found on him as evidence.
The trial judge found the defendant guilty of all charges after hearing his guilty plea and the evidence that was presented in court.
The defense attorney, Bisola Oshundunmade urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Okunuga condemned the defendant to one year in prison with the possibility of a fine of N500,000 after carefully considering all the available information and the arguments made by both parties.
