Court Jails Eight For Internet Fraud

Kaduna State Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of eight internet fraudsters.

Gatekeepers News reports that the internet fraudsters were brought before Justices Darius Khobo, Justice A. A Bello and Justice A.Isiaka of Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna for alleged activities that border on cybercrimes.

The convicts’ names are Nicholas Shedrack, Abraham Simon, Chika Ukoha, Francis Agber, Jennifer Augustine Ezekiel, Yasir Alhassan, Emmanuel Afuagbon, and Nnamdi Obiakor.

The internet fraudsters were prosecuted on a one-count charge each bordering on internet fraud.

The charge against Ukoha reads: “That you Chika Ukoha (a.k.a Shana Farrand) (M), sometimes between January and April 2024 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, falsely presented yourself as one Shana Farrand; a white lady who deals and delivers wig and living in United States of America on Facebook (an online social media application) and in that assumed character cheated one Madison Freeman of the total sum of $700USD (Seven Hundred USD)and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Act.”

The charge against Shedrack reads: “That you Nicholas Shedrack (a.k.a BAIS S MILLER) sometime, in April 2024 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did commit an offence to wit; cheating by impersonation when you falsely represented yourself as Bais S. Miller(a lady who lives at Charlotte North Caroline from United State of America) on a Facebook ( an online social media platform) and in such assumed identity, induced one Mike Campbell to send to you Gift cards worth $200 (Two Hundred United States of America Dollars) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”

They all pleaded guilty to the charges and the prosecuting counsels M.E Eimonye, M. Arumemi, K.Ogunlade, and G.U Gadaka prayed the courts to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Shedrack, Alhassan, and Ukoha were sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of paying a fine of N200,000, N300,000, and N400,000 respectively.

Ukoha was also asked to compensate his victim the sum of $700 as being proceeds of his crime.

Simon, Ezekiel, Obiakor, Afuagbon, and Agber were convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment each.

Simon and Ezekiel were given the option to pay a fine of N400,000, and N350,000 respectively while Obiakor, Afuagbon, and Agber were given the option to pay N300,000 each.

Also, Agber was ordered to compensate his victim with the sum of $500 being the proceeds of his crime.

They were asked to forfeit their communicating devices which were used in their criminal activities to the federal government.

The convicts were then taken back to the Correctional Centre where they were arrested by operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC for internet-related crimes.