Abuja Court Convicts 15 Internet Fraudsters

Justice O. I. Adelaja of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court Kubwa, has convicted and sentenced fifteen (15) internet fraudsters to various jail terms.

The convicts are: Emmanuel Ndubuisi Junior, Obinna Favour, Azuh Chidubem, Christopher Enaho, Abdullahi Sani, Atoyebi Damilare James, Chinonso Peter and Israel Samuel.

Others are Matthew Gideon, Eugene Joseph Boniface and Derick Beshel. The rest are:  Suleiman Dauda, Aliu Dauda, Ikechukwu Idris and Godwin Ifeanyi.

One of the charges read:  “that you Emmanuel Ndubuisi Junior aka Daniel Howard sometime in 2021 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did cheat by personation when you misrepresented yourself to be one Daniel Howard a citizen of Brazil and a crypto investment manager on Gmail address danielhowardsteve@gmail.com with intent to defraud whereby you obtained the sum of Seven Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars ($7,800) from one Sophia and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act  (Abuja) Cap 532 , LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 324 of the same Act”.

They all pleaded guilty to the one- count charges preferred against them.

Based on their pleas, Justice Adelaja convicted and sentenced Junior to one year jail term or an option of fine of  N2,000,000 (Two Million Naira only ). He also forfeited $7,800 (Seven Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars) to the Federal Government, while Favour bagged one year jail term or an option of fine of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira only ).

Chidubem also bagged one year jail term with an option of fine of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira only) while  Ifeanyi bagged  one year jail term or a fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only).

Other convicts had non-custodial sentencing of diverse hours of Community Service to be supervised by officers of the Correctional Service.

All convicts are also to forfeit their phones to the Federal Government.

In the same vein, Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri has convicted and  sentenced David Osigbe Irumekhai to one year imprisonment for  criminal misappropriation to the tune of N9,900,000.

The defendant was first arraigned on December 8, 2022, on one-count charge bordering on criminal misappropriation to the tune of N9.9 million.

The charge reads: “That you, David Osigbe Irumekhai sometime in November, 2020 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly converted to your own use the total sum of Nine Million Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (N9, 900,000.00) being money belonging to Nuhu Titus and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of Penal Code Law Cap 102, Laws of Borno State 1994 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”

Irumekhai pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting a full trial of the case by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the EFCC.

EFCC’s counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed presented three witnesses and tendered several documents in evidence as exhibits.

In her judgment, Justice Kumaliya found Irumekhai guilty, convicted and sentenced him to  a fine of N200, 000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira only) or one year imprisonment.

She further ordered the convict to pay a balance of N9.4million to his victim or serve additional six years imprisonment.

Irumekhai’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when he converted the sum of N9.9million belonging to Nuhu Titus to his own use.

All efforts to make him repay the money proved abortive.