- Safiu Kehinde
No fewer than 18 convicted internet fraudsters have been sentenced to various jail terms in separate judgement at Bauchi Federal High Court and Adamawa State High Court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed this in a statement issued via its official X handle on Tuesday.
According to the statement, 17 out of the 18 internet fraudsters were last week arraigned before Justices Aminu Garba and Aisha A. Ibrahim of the Federal High Court 1 and 2 sitting in Bauchi, Bauchi State and were sentenced to various jail terms following their conviction by the courts.
In similar development, Justice Ahmed Isa of the Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola equally jailed another convicted internet fraudster.
As highlighted by the EFCC, the convicted fraudsters include Fumi Joshua, Nathan Aruku, Femi Adelowo, Chimieze Alajemba, Jeremiah Samuel, Emmanuel Shadrach, Ibrahim Yusuf, Shikaan Martin’s, Mishack Daniel, Jerry Moses, Joseph Yagat Baye, and Emmanuel Pontiff.
Others include Godiya Simon, Noble Max, Perfect Nuhu and Agbande A. Bature, Fred Omale and Yasar Usman Hamman.
They were separately arraigned on a one-count separate charges of fraudulent personation by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Commission between November and December 2024.
The charge against one of the convicts, Chimieze Alajemba, reads: “That you Chimieze Alajemba sometimes in November 2024 at Bauchi, Bauchi State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court fraudulently impersonate one John Miller , an American national by creating and operating fake Facebook and Gmail account with a profile name ” johnmiller366 and johnmiller264.6431,2@gmail.com and in process gained to your advantage the gross sum of $700 thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2) (b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition Prevention etc) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) (vi) of same Act.”
All the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them in court, prompting the prosecution counsel, SM Aliyu, A. Aliyu and JD Tortema to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
However, counsels to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy stressing that they have become remorseful for their actions.
In his judgement dated 11th December 2024, Justice Garba of the Bauchi Federal High Court convicted and sentenced Pontiff to seven months imprisonment with an option of N130,000 fine while Omale is to pay N170,000 in lieu of seven months jail term.
On December 10, 2024, the judge convicted and sentenced Joshua, Bayi and Daniel to seven months imprisonment or a fine of N170,000 each.
Yusuf and Samuel are to pay a fine of N100,000 each in lieu of seven months jail term and Moses, Shedrach and Martin’s were sentenced to seven months imprisonment with an option of fine of N130,000 each.
In other judgement, Justice Aisha Ibrahim convicted and sentenced Aruku, Adelewo, Alajemba and Pam to six months imprisonment or a fine N250,000 each.
Also, on November 28, 2024, the judge convicted and sentenced Simon, Max Bature and Nuhu to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) each.
The judges, according to EFCC, ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ mobile phones recovered during investigation and being proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
On the other hand, Justice Ahmad Isa of the High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa state, convicted one Yasar Usman on a one-count charge of cheating by impersonation.
He was arraigned before the court on the 10th of December following his arrest by the EFCC’s Gombe Zonal Directorate.
The charge reads: “that you Yasar Usman Hamman sometimes in 2024 at Sangere area of Modibbo Yola, Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court whilst impersonating benricothetrader, attempted to cheat by enticing one Morgan and other unsuspecting foreign national to invest their money in your cryptocurrency platform with intent to defraud them, an attempt to cheat by impersonation contrary to Section 59 and punishable under Section 315 of the Adamawa State Penal Code Law 2018”
The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge prompting prosecution counsel, Saad H.Saad to ask the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.
However, counsel to the defendant pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
In his verdict, Justice Isa convicted and sentenced Hamman to ten years imprisonment with an option of fine of N200,000.
The court also ordered that the iPhone X used in the commission of the offence be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
On how the convicts were arrested, EFCC narrated that their journey to the Correctional Centre began following their arrest by operatives of the Gombe Zonal directorate of the Commission based on actionable intelligence regarding their involvement in computer- related fraud.