By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
Justice Babs Kuewumi of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Nigeria on Friday sentenced one Mr Innocent Eneji, an ex- contract staff with Fidelity Bank Plc to three years imprisonment for threatening the lives of the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo and a female Executive Director with the bank, Chijioke Ugochukwu through text messages.
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Justice Kuewumi handed down the sentence following the defendant’s plea of guilty to the three counts charge.
When the matter came up for arraignment on Friday, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Kehinde
Bode-Ayeni told the court that the prosecution has a three counts charge against the defendant (Innocent Eneji) and pleaded with the court that the charge be read to the defendant so that he can take his plea.
Following Bode-Ayeni’s application, Justice Kuewumi ordered that the charge be read to the defendant who consequently pleaded guilty to the three counts.
Upon the guilty plea of the defendant, the prosecutor made an oral application for the review of the facts of the case against Eneji.
While reviewing the case, Bode-Ayeni tendered the statements of the convict dated July 10, 2017 and July 26, 2017, the statement of Nnamdi Okonkwo dated July 20, 2017 and that of Chijioke Ugochukwu, an Executive Director, Share Services and Product, Fidelity Bank Plc dated August 1, 2017.
The prosecutor also tendered before the court the message SIM sent to the complainants, the call log from GLO line and the registered SIM of Mrs Regina Odu which were all admitted in evidence by Justice Kuewumi .
After reviewing the fact of the case, the prosecutor urged the court to convict the defendant accordingly based on his guilty plea, the exhibits tendered as well as the totality of the prosecution evidence against the defendant.
While convicting the defendant after the review of case, the judge said, ” Having read the charge before me to the defendant, I am satisfied that the defendant understood the charge, I uphold the plea of the defendant and he is hereby convicted.
Following his conviction, the convict’s counsel Mr A.B Onifade in his alocutus pleaded for leniency, saying that the convict has realised the gravity of his offence and feel remorseful.
Onifade added that the convict has three children and a wife who solely depend on him for their living, adding that the convict who had written several letters of apologies to the complainants before now, is ready to write an undertaking that he will never come near the complainants to harm them.
While sentencing the convict Justice Kuewumi held that the offence is one that is fast growing in our country today and that all hands must be on the deck to nip it in the bud.
He consequently sentenced the convict to one year imprisonment on each of the three counts. The judge however, ruled that the sentence will run concurrently.
The charge marked FHC/L/341C/18 dated October 9, 2018 and filed by Kehinde Bode-Ayeni reads:
“That you, Innocent Eneji” ‘M’ on the 25th day of June, 2017 at about 21.17 PM at Lagos Island, Lagos within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, , Lagos, did knowingly and intentionally transmit or caused the transmission of a text message containing threat to life through a Glo Mobile Phone Number, 08154154470 registered by your wife to NNAMDI OKONKWQ ’M’. the Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Plc in his own Phone Number, 08033218696 over your grievances on staff issues within Fidelity Bank Plc, to threaten or harass NMAMDI OKONKWO and his family such threat places him in fear of death, violence or bodily harm and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (2) of the 5 Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 24 (2) (i) of the same Act.
“That you, INNOCENT ENEJI ’M’ on the 25‘“ day of June, 2017 at about 2121 p.m at Lagos Island, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Lagos, did knowingly and intentionally transmit or caused the transmission of a text message containing threat to life and family through a GLO Mobile phone number, 08154154470 registered by your wife, to Chijioke UGOCHUKWU ‘F’, the Executive Director, share services and product, Fidelity Bank Plc in his own Phone Number 08033061239, over your grievances on staff issues within Fidelity Bank PIc to threaten or harass Chijioke Ugochukwu and such threat places him and his family members in fear of death, violence or bodily harm and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (2) (a) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act 1 2015 and punishable under Section 24(2) (i) of the same Act.
“That you, Innocent ENEJI ’M’ on the 25th day of June, 2017 at Lagos Island Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did knowingly or intentionally transmit or caused the transmission of text message containing some threats to CHIJIOKE UGOCHUKWU and NNAMDI OKONKWO to harm their reputation respectively, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (2) (c) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section ‘4 {2) (i) of the same Act.