A fake lawyer, Melvin Oromidayo, 37, on Monday was sentenced to three years imprisonment for impersonation by a Magistrate Court, sitting in Ipetumodu, Osun State.
After plesding guilty to the three-count charge of forgery, impersonation and fraud, the presiding judge, Magistrate Abosede Sarumi, said “a sinner must not go unpunished.”
The magistrate maintained that the sentence would serve as deterrent to the convict and other offenders as well.
The magistate, who condemned the conduct of Oromidayo, wondered the sorrows the convict might have caused the many families that look up to lawyers as their saviours in court.
In her judgement, she ruled: “On count one, two, three, I sentenced you to three years calendar months imprisonment on each count respectively with hard labour and without an option of fine. The sentence will run concurrently.”
Before Oromidayo was convicted, the Prosecutor, Joseph Adebayo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, presented the fact of the case to the court that the convict committed the offence on January 20, 2020 at Ipetumodu Magistrates’ Court, Ipetumodu, Ife North Local Government Area of Osun.
According to him, the convict forged a stamp with the inscription: “MELVIN A. OROMIDAYO ESQ, BARRISTER SOLICITOR REAL LEGAL CHAMBER” which he said is known to be false.
He added that the convict intended that the same stamp be acted upon as genuine with the impression of presenting himself as qualified lawyer, called to the Nigeria Bar.
He said the convict fraudulently uttered a false document with inscription :MELVIN A OROMIDAYO ESQ, BARRISTER SOLICITOR REAL LEGAL CHAMBER” which presented him to the public as a qualified and a call to Bar Lawyer.
The Prosecutor stated further that the convict wrote a statement at the police station that he finished from Law School, Enugu, but failed at the final exam.
Adebayo expressed further that on Jan 21, he opened up and confessed he is not a law student neither attended any University, but went to Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, studied Estate Management.
Adebayo stated that the offence contravened sections 467(4) and 484 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.
