Oriesate Ehidiamen.
Cecilia Onah, Lafia
The Federal High Court sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, has sentenced a 24-years-old man, Oriesate Ehidiamen, to two years in prison over financial fraud, threat to life and attempted kidnap of a Nigerian based in the United States of America, Mrs. Rosela Knot.
The suspect had impersonated Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin of Mercy Land Church, Warri, Delta State, through a Facebook page, demanding for money from Mrs. Knot who is based in the USA, in exchange of spiritual items and favours.
Mrs Knot who fell for his fraudulent activities released huge amount of money intermittently to the suspect through a First Bank account belonging to one Mr. Oriesoto Ehidiamen.
The suspect, afterwards failed to deliver the said spiritual items to his unsuspecting victim, and also demanded for her nude pictures.
These requests awakened the consciousness of Mrs Rosela Knot who began to request for a refund of her money.
READ: Police kill six IPOB members in failed attack on police station in Anambra
The suspect who blatantly refused to refund the money, visited the home of the family members of the victim in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and threatened to abduct them if Mrs Knot continues to demand for the refund of her money.
Irked by his continuous demands and threats to her life and that of her family, Mrs Knot contracted the services of Black Peak Chambers, Lafia to prosecute the suspect.
Black Peak Chambers petitioned the suspect to the Nigeria Police Force, Nasarawa State command in July 2020.
Ehidiamen was arrested on 28 September 2022 by policemen from the Anti-kidnapping unit, Nasarawa State Police command and charged to court.
Delivering her judgment on July 8, 2022, Justice Afolabi Nehizena, who said Ehidiamen earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge but later had a change of heart and pleaded guilty to the offense, added that he would pay a fine of N100,000, and the sum of N564,073 he benefited from his crime, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Judge also ordered that the First Bank account and Facebook page that he used in carrying out his fraudulent activities on the unsuspecting public should be blocked.
“The convict has been in custody since his arrest on the 28th day of September, 2020.
“This Court frowns totally at the high rate of fraudulent activities engaged in by young adults. Using this opportunity to again, send out a stern warning that this act is evil, a collective smack in the face of all hardworking Nigerians.
“This convict is a young man, who can hopefully be reintegrated into the society and can become useful to himself and the society at large. Though, this lies entirely in the hands of the convict,” the Judge added.
