By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Four individuals accused of internet fraud, namely Abdulrashid Umar, Ekemini Godwin, Anozie Emmanuel, and Freedom John, were sentenced to prison by Justice M. Adamu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama on Wednesday. The defendants pleaded guilty to separate charges of obtaining money by false pretenses.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abuja Zonal Directorate, brought the charges against them. According to the charges, Godwin impersonated a man named Ryan Williams, a U.S. citizen, on Facebook, and fraudulently obtained $520 (Five Hundred and Twenty U.S. Dollars) from Hae-Yun, a victim from Pennsylvania. This offense occurred in 2024 within the jurisdiction of the court and violated Section 321, punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code Act, Laws of the Federation 2004.
Emmanuel was charged with impersonating “Scammerpayback” on Facebook, pretending to be a recovery agent, and deceitfully obtaining $300 (Three Hundred U.S. Dollars) from Ahabeb Ycehpeab, a victim from Kyrgyzstan. This also occurred in 2024, and the offense violated the same legal provisions as Godwin’s.
All four defendants pleaded guilty to the charges, prompting the prosecution counsel, S.N. Robert, to request the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Adamu sentenced Umar to one year in prison or a fine of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira). Godwin, Emmanuel, and John each received two-year prison sentences. In addition to their sentences, the court imposed fines on the others: Godwin was fined N800,000 (Eight Hundred Thousand Naira), Emmanuel was fined N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira), and John received a fine of N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira).
The court further ordered that all mobile phones used in the commission of their crimes be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The convicts’ criminal activities began when they were arrested for internet fraud-related offenses. Following their arrests, they were charged, found guilty, and subsequently convicted.