WorldStage Newsonline– Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State has convicted and sentenced five internet fraudsters to six months jail terms each.
They were jailed after pleading guilty to separate charges bordering on criminal impersonation on the internet, preferred against them by the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The convicts are: Okon Dennis Akpan, Franklin Agara Mbeh, Peter Chinedu Okpaga, Nwofoke Celestine and Paul Egede Chinedu.
One of the charges reads: ‘that you, Nwofoke Celestine “M” sometime in 2025 within the jurisdiction of this Honorable court did fraudulently impersonate Victoria Chiara on Facebook with the intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2)(b) (i ) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, prevention) Act 2015 and punishable under the same Section’.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them by the Commission, and in view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Temiloluwa Oladipupo reviewed the facts of the case and urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Ojukwu immediately convicted and sentenced each of them to six months jail term and a fine of N1 million each.
They forfeited all items used in committing the crimes to the Federal Government.
The convicts got to the Correctional Centre when they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC for internet crimes. They were charged to court and jailed.
EIGHT JAILED IN KADUNA
Justice R.M.Aikawa of the Federal High Court, sitting in Kaduna has convicted and jailed eight persons for fraud in the state.
The convicts are, Abdulrasheed Dayyabu, Abdulrahman Salim, Abubakar Ali Uba, Falalu Tanko, Ishaq Haruna, Muhammad Faisal, Muhammad Sani Ahmed and Hassan Umar.
They were prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on separate one-count charges, bordering on impersonation, money laundering, retention of proceeds of crime and unauthorized bank transfers.
The charge against Dayyabu reads: ” That you, Abudulrasheed Dayyabu, sometime in the year 2024, at Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, did aid one Buhari to commit an offence, to wit: retention of proceeds of criminal conduct and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 20(b) of the same Act.”
The charge against Tanko reads: “That you Falalu Tanko, sometime in June, 2025 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained the total sum of $3000.00 USD (Three Thousand United States Dollars) which you knew that such fund forms part of proceeds of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention $ Prohibition) Act, 2022 and Punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”
They all pleaded “guilty” to their charges, following which prosecution counsel, Fortune Amina Iminabo Asemebo prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Aikawa convicted and sentenced Dayyabu to four years imprisonment or to pay N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. In addition, he forfeited the sum of N300,000. (Three Hundred Thousand Naira), being the proceeds of his crime to the federal government.
He convicted and sentenced Uba, Salim, Haruna, Faisal, Ahmed and Umar to four years imprisonment, each or to pay the sum of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine, respectively.
In addition, Uba forfeited N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira), Salim forfeited N720,000 (Seven Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira), Haruna forfeited N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira), Faisal forfeited N1,100,000 (One Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira), Ahmed forfeit N1,200,000 (One Million Two Hundred Thousand Naira) and Umar forfeited N170,000 (One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira).
All the forfeitures, being the proceeds of their crimes, are to the federal government.
The judge convicted and sentenced Tanko to three years imprisonment or to pay N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. In addition, he forfeited his BMW car, 3 series, 2008 model and his iPhone 13pro, being the proceeds and tools of his crime to the federal government.
Dayyabu, Uba, Salim, Haruna, Faisal, Ahmed and Umar were among those arrested following a petition from Taj Bank, in which they alleged that they perpetrated internet fraud and theft by exploiting a system glitch in Taj Bank’s agency banking platform and transferred a total sum of over N1 billion to various banks and fintech platforms through unauthorised means, while Tanko was arrested in Babar Saura area of Kaduna State, following credible intelligence that exposed his fraudulent internet activities.
MINNA INTERNET FRAUDSTER IN KADUNA
Justice R.M Aikawa of the Federal High Court, sitting in Kaduna has convicted and sentenced one Musa Yakubu to jail for fraud.
He was prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge, bordering on impersonation and cybercrime.
The charge reads: “That you, Musa Yakubu (a.k.a T.S Malofinha), Male, sometime in February, 2025 in Shiroro Minna, Niger State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated one T.S Malofinha (a citizen of Carlifornia, United States of America) on Facebook (an online social media application), with intent to gain advantage to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention Etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act.”
He pleaded “guilty to the charge, following which the prosecution counsel, F.A.I. Asemebo prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Aikawa, thereafter, convicted and sentenced him to three years imprisonment or to pay N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. In addition, he forfeited his iPhone 13 Pro max, being the tool of his crime to the federal government.
The convict was among those arrested in Shiroro, Minna, Niger State, following intelligence that exposed their fraudulent internet activities.
