The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abuja Zonal Command on Wednesday, secured the conviction of eight internet fraudsters before Justices Chinyere Nwecheonu, A.A Akobi, A.I. Kutigi and V.S Garba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
Five of the convicts: Emmanuel Ogochukwu, Ugochukwu Mathias and Aderele Adekunle, Abdullahi Adebola Ayinde and Matthew Ushie Adie were prosecuted before Justice Nwecheonwu of the FCT High Court, Kuje on one count charge each.
Ogochukwu, pretending to be Kob Sook Dennis cheated one Yen Tran on Facebook platform. Ugochukwu also pretending to be Arjun Sharma on Instagram cheated unsuspecting females of the sum of $400.
Aderele, pretending to be one Finalisa, the daughter of one Lee Bruce, a contractor from Hong Kong, obtained the sum of 3,000 Renminbi, while Abdullahi created an Instagram account in the name of an American actor, Tom Cruise and in that assumed character obtained the sum of $80 from one Anne Line Bergh alias Sarafina Carly, a Norwegian citizen.
Justice Nwecheonu sentenced all five defendants to one year in prison with options of fine as follows: Emmanuel Ogochukwu and Abdullahi both bagged a fine of N200,000 each, while Aderele is to pay N300,000 fine.
Ugochukwu and Adie were fined N250,000 each.
In addition, all convicts are to forfeit proceeds of crime to the Federal Government.
In a related development, one Raphael Samuel Maduabuchi who was prosecuted before Justice A.A Akobi of the FCT High Court Gwagwalada on a one count charge for cheating by personation when he presented himself as a white woman named ‘plasticjuggernaut787’ from the United States of America to obtain a total sum of $500 from Damonnava as transport fare to meet him, was sentenced to community service including cutting the grass within the court premises, after pleading guilty to the charge.
Also, his Samsung Galaxy S9 phone is to be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Also, Justice A.I. Kutigi of the FCT High Court Jabi, Abuja convicted one Prince David on a one count charge of cheating by impersonation when he created a Reddit application with nude female pictures with the name Ladiphilipol and obtained $150 from one Josef, pretending to be in a romantic relationship with him.
He was sentenced to one month in prison with a N50,000 option of fine.
In the same vein, one Igbafen Ifijen was convicted by Justice V.S Garba of FCT High Court Kuje for cheating by impersonation when he presented himself as a white man from Germany using a dating site called ‘Lovoo’ and benefitted the sum of EUR3,145 from one Jutta, Audrea and Eike, all German women.
The offence is contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 324 of the same Act
Igbafen, after pleading guilty to the charge was convicted by Justice Garba and sentenced to a one year jail term with an option of N75,000 fine.
