A State High Court sitting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State have sentenced two brothers and 72 other internet fraudsters to different jail terms.
The two brothers, Samuel Adeboye and Charles Adeboye, as well as 33 other internet fraudsters arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justices Ladiran Akintola, Bayo Taiwo and O.S. Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.
The other 39 were sentenced by a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, presided over by Justices H. I. O. Oshomah and M. T. Segun-Bello.
The 33 convicts are: Oluwadamilola Michael Omotayo, Boluwatife Ajewole Alaran, Michael Damilare Badaru, Oyewole Ismail Oluwatayo, Mudashiru Oluwatobi Oyebamiji, Ebuka Michael Oluwatobi, Azeez Hammed Ademola, Adelayi Adetunji Wellington, Isaac Ifeoluwapo Oke, Muraina Toheeb Adeola, Hammed Ismaheel Ayomide, Adedayo Opeyemi Ogundele, Ajose Oluwaseun Alaba, Bolarinwa Tobi Samuel, Alabi Ayomide, Omodayo Obatomiwa Adedayo, Asoro Taiwo Oluwafemi and Sebili Ibrahim Sunday.
Others are: Seun Ebenezer Anjorin, Adewale festus Prosper, Adubi Oluwatimileyin Abiola, Lawal Qwwatullah Opeyemi, Jegede Boluwaji Victor, Waris Tomiwa Atanda, Adebayo Adeoye Okikiola, Opeyemi Uthman Adeleke, Michael Olalekan Akintola, Abdulazeez Taiwo Adisa, Ebuka Ogbonna Emmanuel, Augustine Chukwuka Okoh, Ayomide Temitope Adekunle, Edunjobi Toheeb Ayobami and Abdulganiyu Sakiru Adebayo.
They were prosecuted on separate one-count charges, each bordering on impersonation, obtaining by false pretense, retention of proceeds of crime, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The charge against Samuel Adedeji Adeboye reads: “That you Adeboye on or about the 8th day of June, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, falsely represented yourself as James Jonathan to Wendy Rose, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law of Oyo State, 2000.”
The charge against Charles Adedamola Adeboye reads: “That you, Charles Adedamola Adeboye sometime in July, 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, aided an internet fraudster, one Olowooye David (at large) by helping him and other internet fraudsters to receive funds, which form the proceed of obtaining money by false pretences, wherein you benefitted the total sum N200, 000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira), thereby committed an offence of aiding the commission of felony: obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Sections 7 (b) and 419 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 30, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
All the defendants pled “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Sanusi Galadanchi, Lanre Suleiman, Shamsuddeen Bashir and Mabas Mabur to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced the Adeboye brothers to one year imprisonment each, with N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) option of fine for Adedeji and N30, 000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) for Adedamola.
He convicted and sentenced Omotayo, Alaran, Badaru, Oluwatayo, Oyebamiji, Oluwatobi, Ademola, Adeola, Alaba, Samuel, Sunday, Anjorin, Abiola, Opeyemi, Victor, Atanda, Okikiola, Adeleke and Akintola to one-year imprisonment each or to pay a fine of N100, 000, N50, 000, N150, 000, N50, 000, N250, 000, N50, 000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira), N200, 000, N200, 000, N200, 000, N200, 000, N200, 000, N120, 000, N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira), N50, 000, N500, 000, N50, 000, N50, 000, N50, 000 and N50, 000, respectively.
Also convicted and sentenced by Justice Akintola are, Oluwafemi and Prosper who both got six-month jail term or paid a fine of N100, 000 each.
Others are: Wellington and Adedayo who both got six months community service or to pay a fine of N100, 000.00 each; Ismaheel Ayomide, who bagged six months community service without option of fine and the trio of Oke, Ogundele and Alabi Ayomide, who bagged three months community service or to pay a fine of N50, 000 each.
Justice Taiwo convicted and sentenced Adisa to five months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N150, 000, Okoh got four months jail term while Emmanuel bagged five months community service without an option of fine.
Adeyemi, on his part, slammed Ayobami with one year of community service and three months of community service each for Adekunle and Adebayo, all without an option of fines.
Besides their sentences, all the convicts forfeited items recovered from them to the federal government. Ademola, Oyebamiji, Adeola, and Alaba forfeitured four Lexus cars; Victor and Samuel forfeited two Toyota Camry cars, Ayobami forfeited a Mercedes Benz car while Sunday forfeited an Acura car, being proceeds of their crime.
In Abakaliki, the 39 were jailed after pleading guilty to a one-count separate charges bordering on obtaining by false presence, personation, and possession of fraudulent documents upon arraignment by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of EFCC.
The convicts are, Udeh Chimuanya John, Nnadi Raphael Ogomegbunam, Ani Mmesoma Emmanuel, Benjamin Obinna Ezema, Onoja Chukwuemeka Miracle, Frank Egesionu, Nze Uchenna Divine,ss Ikegwu Matthew Chukwuma, Ugwu Henry Izuchukwu, Chidiobi Kelechi Sylvester, Erozona Emmanuel Omeya, Aruma Chidiebere Emmanuel, Amaechi Shiloh Chukwuelotam, Ajibo Sunday Chiweokwu, Amadi Mbakaogu, Emeka Ogwa, Miracle Ezema Ebube, Nwobodo Joel Obinna, Eze Emmanuel, Raymond Ugochukwu Emmanuel and Amah Matthew Olumachi.
Others include; Oparaukwu Udoka Justice, Philip Nnabuike Ozoani, Chukwueze Emmanuel Onuh, David Emeka, Henry Chinenyerem Ogbodo, Ebube Testimony Omeje, Emmanuel Stanley Odoh, Terzungwe Isaac Utor, Tersoo Stanley Ukume, Ugwu Christian Tochukwu, Omeje Favour Chimdalu, Henry Abara Ekom, Ajibo Kingsley Ebube, Nuka Christian Lucky, Obioha Chidiebube Gratus, Eze Marcel Uchenna, Enwu Stephen Chimdindu and Chinedu Nelson.
The charge against Ezema reads: “That you, Benjamin Obinna Ezema, sometime in September 2024 in Nsukka, Enugu State within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, fraudulently impersonated one Patricia Lambert, a foreign national, through a fake Telegram account via your IPhone 14 Pro mobile phone, with intent to gain advantage for yourself from your unsuspecting victims and you thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 22 (3) (a) and (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention Etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (4) of the same Act”.
The Charge against Chidera reads: “That you, Ezeh Emmanuel Chidera, sometime in 2024 in Enugu, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, fraudulently impersonated the identity of Wei Yiming, a male foreigner and citizen of United Arab Emirates who works as a Chief Medical Officer, via your Tecno Spark 7, with intent to obtain money from unsuspecting foreign nationals and to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (3) (a) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Etc.) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (4) of the same Act”.
The convicts pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them separately and given their pleas, Michael Ikechukwu Ani prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
However, the defence counsel; Wisdom Ogbonna, B. E. Enyiagu, C. C. Osi-Ogbonna, Remy Agu and E. C. Chinenyeze pleaded for leniency and to temper justice with mercy, adding that the convicts were remorseful, as they have learnt their lessons.
Justice H. I. O. Oshomah, on Monday, September 23, 2024, convicted and sentenced 30 of the convicts to two years imprisonment each with an option of fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) except Ukume who was given an option of fine of N200,00( Two Hundred Thousand Naira) while on Friday, September 27, 2024, Justice M. T. Segun-Bello, convicted and sentenced Tochukwu, Ebube, Lucky, Gratus, Uchenna, Chimdindu, Nelson, Ekom and Chimdalu to three years imprisonment each with an option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira).
Justice Oshomah further made the following orders;Odoh was ordered to forfeit to the Federal Government, his three plots of land located at Sweetvilla Phase 3 in Tagbati, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State; Ukume was ordered to forfeit the sum of N2,873,295.00 (Two Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy-three Thousand, Two hundred and Ninety-five Naira) to the Federal Government and Utor was ordered to forfeit the sum of N1,000,000(One million naira to the Federal Government).
The Justices also ordered that their mobile phones be auctioned by the Deputy Court Registrar of the court and proceeds paid into the Treasury Single Account of the Federation. Convicts were also ordered to submit their Bank Verification Numbers and their National Identification Numbers to the court which will also be verified by the Deputy Court Registrar after which they will swear to affidavits of good behavior and another affidavit, showing that they have complied with the submission of their particulars.
The convicts were remanded at the Abakaliki Correctional facility until they complied with the conditions.
The convicts were arrested on September 9, 2024 in Nsukka and Enugu metropolis by operatives of the Commission, following actionable intelligence linking them to cybercrimes activities.
