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A fake lawyer in Gusau, Mr. Chukwuka Jide has been sentenced to one year imprisonment by Chief Magistrate Court One, Gusau.
The Presiding Judge, Sa’adu Garba Gurbin-Bore who read the court judgement during the court session today (Tuesday) said, Jide having confessed to committing the crime has been convicted accordingly.
Noting that, Impersonation and Cheating are punishable offences under Section 179 and 324 of the Panel Code with 3 year jail term and 7 year jail term with fine or both.
However, Counsel to the dependent, Barrister Joseph C. Eze of Eze Eze & Co chambers requested the preceding judge to temper justice with mercy as the accused person is a family man with 7 unemployed children and suffered fire outbreak twice, hence the need to grant him soft sentence.
The Chief Magistrate, Garba Gurbin-Bore therefore said, considering the plea by the Counsel to the dependent the Mr. Chukwuka Jude is therefore sentence sentence to 6 Months Imprisonment or N50,000 fine as an option for the Impersonation offence and One year Imprisonment for Cheating, and if the fine is not paid he will serve the two jail terms consecutively.
He also grant 30 Days for both the Plaintiff and Dependent for appeal
In an interview with Radio Nigeria after the Court Session, Counsel to the convicted fake lawyer, Barr Joseph C. Eze said the presiding judge acted on the powers vested on him, but the N50,000 fine is not within the court power.
Barr Joseph called on impersonators to desist from the act to avoid regrettable punishments.
