A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced five men who impersonated officials of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria to 2,500 hours of community service.

The court also ordered the convicts to pay N100,000 each as a special fine to the Federal Government.

The convicts, who were sentenced by Justice Abimbola Awogboro, are Joshua James, Dagunduro Taiwo, Fatade Samuel, Peter Otegbe and Azeez Wasiu.

Justice Awogboro ordered them to perform community service after they pleaded guilty to one count of forgery made against them by SON.

According to the prosecutor, Yusuf Lawan, a Principal State Counsel from the Federal Ministry of Justice, the convicts on July 7, 2022, at Apapa, Lagos, conspired among themselves and forged SON’s receipt numbered APP/459851 and RRR. 2106-7879-6380 dated July 7, 2022.Lawan, said, “The convicts intend to use the forged receipt as genuine.”

The convicts pleaded guilty to the charge.

Following their guilty plea, the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence them.

But the convicts, through their different lawyers, pleaded with the court to be lenient with them.

Justice Awogboro, after pronouncing the convicts guilty of the charge against them, sentenced each of them to 500 community service.