Eight individuals involved in internet fraud have been found guilty by the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abuja Zonal Command, presented all eight defendants before Justices Chinyere Nwecheonu, A. A Akobi A.I. Kutigi, and V.S Garba on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
Emmanuel Ogochukwu, Ugochukwu Mathias, Aderele Adekunle, Abdullahi Adebola Ayinde, and Matthew Ushie Adie faced charges before Justice Nwecheonwu of the FCT High Court, Kuje. Each defendant faced one count.
Ogochukwu, operating under the false identity of Kob Sook Dennis, defrauded Yen Tran through the Facebook platform.
Ugochukwu posed as Arjun Sharma on Instagram and scammed several unsuspecting women out of $400.
Aderele, impersonating Finalisa, the daughter of Lee Bruce, a Hong Kong contractor, obtained 3000 RMB.
Abdullahi created an Instagram account using the name of American actor Tom Cruise, deceiving Anne Line Bergh, also known as Sarafina Carly, a Norwegian citizen, and extorted $80.
Justice Nwecheonu sentenced all five defendants to one year in prison with the option to pay fines. Emmanuel Ogochukwu and Abdullahi were fined N200,000 each, while Aderele was ordered to pay a fine of N300,000. Ugochukwu and Adie were fined N250,000 each.
Furthermore, all convicted individuals must forfeit the proceeds of their crimes to the Federal Government.
In a related case, Raphael Samuel Maduabuchi, who appeared before Justice A.A Akobi of the FCT High Court in Gwagwalada, was charged with cheating by impersonation. He presented himself as a white woman named ‘plasticjuggernaut787’ from the United States and fraudulently obtained $500 from Damonnava as transportation fare. Maduabuchi pleaded guilty and was sentenced to community service, which includes cutting grass within the court premises. His Samsung Galaxy S9 phone will also be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Additionally, Justice A.I. Kutigi of the FCT High Court in Jabi, Abuja, convicted Prince David on one count of cheating by impersonation. David created a Reddit application containing nude female pictures under the name Ladiphilipol and obtained $150 from Josef, pretending to be in a romantic relationship with him. He received a one-month prison sentence with the option to pay a fine of N50,000.
The court also found Igbafen Ifijen guilty of cheating by impersonation. Ifijen portrayed himself as a white man from Germany on a dating site called ‘Lovoo’ and defrauded Jutta, Audrea, and Eike, all German women, of EUR3,145. The offence is in violation of Section 321 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation (Abuja) 1990, and is punishable under Section 324 of the same Act. Ifijen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in jail or the option to pay a fine of N75,000.
