Two men, Ugwu Chijioke and Ibrahim Adekunle, have been sentenced to 46 years in prison for impersonating operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and executing a fake court order.

According to a statement on X.com on Sunday, the duo were arrested in May 2021 at New Horizon Estate, Lekki, Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the commission.

At the time of their arrest, they were caught in the act of carrying out an illegal operation.

Items recovered from them at the point of arrest included fake EFCC identity cards, jackets, and a court order allegedly from Mushin Magistrate Court.

They were subsequently arraigned on October 12, 2021, by the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC on on a five-count charge, amended to include impersonation, attempted property fraud, possession of false documents, and unlawful wear of the EFCC uniform.

The suspects were arraigned before Justice O.O. Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, where they pleaded guilty to the charges.

After their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Abdulhamid Tukur, presented a review of the case facts, demonstrating their guilt.

Tukur then requested the court to deliver a guilty verdict and impose the corresponding sentences.

Justice Abike-Fadipe found them guilty as charged on counts one, two, three, four and five.

The defendants, who were given an opportunity to address the court, pleaded for mercy.

Delivering judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced the defendants each to seven years on counts one to three each, one year on count four and eight months on count five.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

One of the counts reads: “ That you, Ugwu Pascal Chijioke and Ibrahim Sadiq Adekunle, on or about the 12th day of May, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, attempted to obtain property from one Oriyomi Johnson under the pretext that the “Chief Magistrate Court, Lagos State Judiciary, Mushin, Lagos” issued an Order to the effect that the property located at New Horizon Estate, Lekki- Ikate, Lagos be seized and the said apartment sealed pending the arrival of the said Oriyomi Johnson ,which representation you knew to be false and committed an offence of attempt to obtain property by false pretense contrary to Sections 8(b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section11(3) of the same Act.”

Another count reads, “That you, Ugwu Pascal Chijioke and Ibrahim Sadiq Adekunle, on or about the 12th day of May, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court not being a person holding any office in or authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, wore a jacket bearing the official mark of the Commission ,which was calculated to convey the impression that you held such authority and committed an offence of unlawfully wearing the uniform of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission contrary to Section 79(1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”

NAHCON officials on Friday apprehended two Nigerians posing as pilgrims at the Muna camp in Saudi Arabia.

The impostors, Abu Mahmud and Ismaila Yahaya, were caught mingling with genuine pilgrims who were resting after their journey from Mecca to Muna camps.

The fake pilgrims were found wearing counterfeit Nusuk Identification cards and donning the traditional white attire worn by Hajj pilgrims in an attempt to blend in with the crowd.

Their deception was uncovered, and they were taken into custody by the vigilant officials.

Mr Mahmud who claimed to hail from Kano State was found also with an expired Saudi visa.

He revealed that he had been residing in Saudi Arabia since 2022 when his visa expired.

In a desperate bid for a better life, he allegedly paid the sum of N3 million to enter Saudi Arabia in search of ‘greener pastures illegally.’

” I only want to perform Hajj. So I faked the Nusuk ID and sneaked into the camp when Nigerians arrived this afternoon.

” I am so sorry. Please allow me to go. I won’t do the Hajj again. If you arrest me I will be in trouble and also my family.

The impersonating pilgrims are currently being interrogated by NAHCON officials, who will subsequently hand them over to the Saudi authorities.

The Saudi government has issued a stern warning that all pilgrims must possess a valid Nusuk card to participate in this year’s hajj.

Those found without the mandatory Nusuk card will face severe consequences, including deportation to their country of origin, a jail sentence and a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals.

Meanwhile, the hajj rituals have commenced, with pilgrims being transported from Mecca to Mina on Friday.

The pilgrims will camp in Mina before proceeding to Arafat on Saturday, marking the beginning of the sacred journey.

This significant event has drawn over 1.5 million pilgrims from around the world, with numbers expected to exceed 2 million, according to Saudi authorities.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), on Friday, rescued a commercial bus alongside the driver who recklessly swerved into a ditch to avoid the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) officials at Obadore along LASU-Isheri road.

The agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement.

Oke-Osanyintolu said that a female sustained a minor injury during the accident.

“The incident happened at Obadore along LASU-Isheri road.

“We activated the state’s emergency response team from Igando base to the accident scene

“Upon arrival at incident scene at about 11.01hrs, it was observed that a commercial bus, with registration number FKJ 870 YG, was involved in a lone accident at the aforementioned location.

“Further investigations revealed that the accident occurred when the vehicle’s driver swerved recklessly in attempts to avoid a VIS checkpoint,” he said.

He added that the reckless driving led to the loss of the vehicle’s control and subsequent falling into a ditch.

“No loss of lives were recorded in the incident. However, an adult female sustained minor injuries in the process.

“The bus was recovered with the help of LASEMA response team, the Lagos State Fire Rescue & Service and the Nigeria Police Force who were all in attendance,” he said.