Thirteen internet fraudsters were on Thursday February 22,
2024 convicted and sentenced to various jail terms by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba
of Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State.
Eight of them: Ayodeji Emmanuel, Oyebade Johnpeace
Jesustofunmi, Babatunde Oluwapelumi Richard, Owoyemi Michael Boluwatife Sodiq
Bayonle Qosim, Sunday Solomon Blessing, Ilori Tolulope and Anthony Akinbulijo,
are undergraduates of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo
State.
Others are Ifiriyele Orilola Samuel, Ajileye Wale, Elvis Oni
Mohammed, Ogbeifun Prince and Stephen Kelvin and Abudu Umaru
The convicts were arraigned separately on one count charge of
impersonation and possession of fraudulent documents by the Benin Zonal Command
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The charge against Mohammed reads: “ that you Elvis Oni
Mohammed on or about the 9th day of February, 2024 in Benin City, Edo State
within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did have in your possession
documents which you knew or ought to have known contain a false pretence and thereby
committed an offence contrary to Section and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and
Other Fraud Related Offences Act.2006 and punishable under Section 1(3)of same
Act .
Upon arraignment all the defendants pleaded guilty to their
respective charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsels
F.A. Jirbo, I.K Agwai, A. A. Ibrahim, I.Faisal and A. S.Bala-Riba to pray the
court to convict and sentence them accordingly. However, the defence counsel
pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Ikponmwonba convicted and sentenced Mohammed,
Richard, Boluwatife, Qosim, Tolulope, Samuel, Wale and Akjnbulijo to three
years imprisonment each or a fine of N100,000 ( One Hundred Thousand Naira)
each.
The duo of Prince and Blessing bagged three years
imprisonment with an option of N200,000 ( Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each.
The trio of Emmanuel, Jesutofunmi and Kelvin were sentenced
to two years imprisonment or a fine of N100,000 each.
Umaru who was convicted on February 16, 2024 by Justice
Ikponmwonba for retention of proceeds of crime . He was sentenced to two years
imprisonment or a fine of N100,000. The judge ordered the restitution of the
victim with the sum of N354,000 by the convict.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of the
convicts’ mobile phones, balances in their bank accounts and a Mercedes Benz
GLA250 model, being proceeds of crime to the Federal government of Nigeria and
to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour forthwith.
Their road to the Correctional Centre began following their
arrest by operatives of the Commission based on actionable intelligence on
their fraudulent activities.
Upon investigations, the convicts were discovered to be involved in different modes of internet fraud. For instance, 25-year-old Mohammed was discovered to be involved in a Bitcoin scam using social media platforms.
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