One Manasseh Hamza Bello (a.k.a Domingos Pereira) has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sentenced to jail by the Kaduna State High Court for impersonation.
Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, sitting in Kaduna convicted and sentenced Bello to five years imprisonment with the option of paying N500,000 fine for the offence.
According to EFCC X handle, Bello was prosecuted on a one-count charge bordering on impersonation. The charge reads: “That you Manasseh Hamza Bello (a.k.a Domingos Pereira) (M), sometime in 2024 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, committed an offence, to wit: falsely presenting yourself as Domingos Pereira (a white man) on Facebook (an online social media application), which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 142 (1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charge upon which prosecution counsel, M.U Gadaka prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
The judge consequently convicted and sentenced him to five years imprisonment or to pay a fine of N 500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira). In addition to his jail term, he forfeited the iPhone 13 Pro Max mobile phoneTwenty-Seven, a Tecno PoP 8 mobile phone, a golden-coloured Toyota Camry car and the sum of N2,127,000.00 (Two Million, One Hundred and Twenty-Seven Thousand Naira) to the federal government.
Bello was arrested and prosecuted following credible intelligence on the fraudulent activities of a cybercrime syndicate operating within the Barnawa, Kakuri and Television Garage axis of the Kaduna metropolis.