37-year-old man sentenced to 3-year jail term for duping 3,000 Nigerians

A 37-year-old man, Benjamin Bright, was on Tuesday sentenced to a three-year jail term for duping no fewer than 3,000 Nigerians of about N4.9m.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja gave the verdict after Bright had admitted committing the crime.

The convict was charged to the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions following the receipt of about 50 different petitions from members of the public against him.


While reviewing the facts of the case, the prosecutor, Mr. Emmanuel Jackson, said Bright perpetrated the crime through a mouth-watering, but sham investment scheme he had purportedly inaugurated and advertised in a magazine sometime in 2008.

Jackson, who described Bright as a skilful and a competent young man, said the convict steadily scammed several Nigerians, including aged pensioners, for about three years before he was apprehended.

Bright was arraigned on 21 counts bordering on fraud and issuance of dud cheques.

The offence was said to have contravened sections 383 (1) and (9) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2003.

He had initially pleaded not guilty.

He later changed his plea after spending over two years in custody as an awaiting trial inmate.

Justice Ipaye said the three years prison term would commence from Tuesday.


Credit: Ramon Oladimeji/PunchMetro