Man bags 3 years imprisonment for sending threat message to Fidelity Bank MD

Peter Fowoyo

For sending a text message threatening the life of the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, and a female Executive Director with the bank, Chijioke Ugochukwu, a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos has sentenced an ex- contract staff with Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Innocent Eneji, to three years imprisonment. Justice Babs 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, counsel to the prosecution, Mrs. Khinde 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. Justice Kuewumi however 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. Bode- Ayeni while reviewing the case, tendered the statements of the convicts 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 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 based on his guilty plea, the exhibits tendered as well as the totality of the prosecution evidence against the defendant. Justice Kuewumi while convicting the defendant said, ” Haven read the charge before me to the defendant, I am satisfied that the defendant understand the charge, I uphold the plea of the defendant and he is hereby convicted. Following his conviction, the convict’s lawyer, Mr. A.B Onifade in his alocutors pleaded for leniency, saying that the convict’s has realised the gravity of his offence and feel remorseful. Onifade added that the convict has three children and a wife who solely depends on him for living, adding that the convict who had written several letters of apologies to the complainants before now, is ready to write an undertaking letter that he will never come near the complainants to harm them. Justice Kuewumi while sentencing the convict, said the offence is one that is fast growing in our country today and that all hands must be on deck to nip it in the bud. He, therefore, sentenced the convict to one year imprisonment each on the three counts. He, however, ruled that the sentence will run concurrently.