An 82-year-old man, Clement Nnamdi Okonjo, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, after being found guilty of forgery. The conviction was secured on Wednesday by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice F. A. Olubanjo, bringing to a close a trial that began more than three years ago.
Okonjo was first arraigned on January 17, 2023, on a four-count charge bordering on forgery. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges at the time, which led the court to proceed with a full trial. Over the course of the proceedings, the prosecution presented evidence and called witnesses to establish that the defendant was involved in the falsification of documents, an offence that falls under clearly defined provisions of Nigerian law.
After reviewing the totality of the evidence placed before it, the court found Okonjo guilty on the charges. Justice Olubanjo delivered the ruling and handed down a 12-year prison sentence, a term that, given the convict’s age, effectively amounts to spending the remainder of his life behind bars. The weight of that reality has not been lost on those following the case.
The EFCC, in confirming the outcome, made its position on the matter clear.
“The EFCC reiterates its commitment to tackling financial crimes and ensuring that offenders, regardless of age or status, are brought to justice,” the commission stated.
The case raises difficult questions that extend beyond the courtroom. While the law makes no exceptions based on age, sentencing an 82-year-old man to over a decade in prison forces a conversation about proportionality, the purpose of punishment, and the state of Nigeria’s correctional facilities. Nigerian prisons are already notorious for overcrowding, poor healthcare, and harsh conditions. For an elderly convict, those conditions present challenges that go beyond the sentence itself. Whether the goal of such a lengthy term is deterrence, retribution, or rehabilitation, none of those objectives sit comfortably when applied to a man of Okonjo’s age.
At the same time, forgery is not a victimless crime. Document falsification can cause serious financial harm, strip people of property, and undermine public trust in legal and institutional processes. The EFCC’s insistence that no one is above the law, regardless of age or social standing, reflects a principle that many Nigerians have demanded for years. The challenge is applying that principle consistently and not just against those who lack the resources or connections to fight back….See More
Source: EFCC, as reported by multiple outlets, March 2026.
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