Crime/Justice

Justice  T. G. Ringing of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, Gombe State  on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 convicted and sentenced two police officers:  Yusuf AbdulKarim Bature and Musa Philip and an immigration officer; Nasiru Mohammed  to seven years imprisonment each for employment fraud to the tune of  N1,640,000 (One Million Six Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira)

Bature and Philip were arraigned on two  count – charges of  obtaining by false pretences and intent to defraud while Mohammed was arraigned on  one- count charge of obtaining by false pretences  by the Gombe Zonal Directorate  of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Count one of the charges against Yusuf AbdulKarim Bature and Musa Philip reads  : “That you Yusuf Abdul karim.Bature and Musa Philip while being public officers with the Nigerian Police Force sometime in 2022 in Gombe within the Gombe Judicial division at the Federal High Court of Justice did with intent to defraud  falsely obtained from one Asabe Hamed the total sum of Nine Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira for the purpose of securing a job, a claim you knew to be false”.

The charge against Nasiru Mohammed reads: “that you Nasiru Mohammed sometime in 2022 in Gombe within the jurisdiction of this honourable court while being a staff of the Nigerian Immigration Service did falsely obtained the sum of Six Hundred and Seventy Thousand naira ( N670,000) from Abdul Rahman Abubakar and Akwalo Adamu under the false pretence of securing them a job with the Nigerian Immigration service which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same  Act”

Upon arraignment the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective  charges .

In view of their guilty pleas,  prosecution counsel Tortema Joshua prayed the court to  convict and sentence the defendants accordingly but counsels to the defendants, Babangida Mohammed and K.K. Jomoh pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy  as the defendants were first -time offenders who are remorseful of their actions .

Justice Ringing thereafter convicted and sentenced Bature , Philip and Mohammed  to seven  years imprisonment each  or a fine of  N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira)  each.

In addition, the judge ordered  the convicts to pay restitution  of N1,640,000 to the petitioners and sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour henceforth.

The convicts’ journey to the Correctional Centre began sometime in February 8, 2024 when some petitioners alleged  that Bature and Philip collected N970,000 while Mohammed collected N670,000 as payment  for employment slots.  The convicts neither offered the petitioners the jobs nor returned their money to them.

Justices  Kayanson Samuel Lawanson,   Hammed Isha ,  Benjamin Manji Lawal and Mohammed Ibrahim Tola of the Adamawa State High Court, Adamawa State have  convicted and sentenced twelve  internet fraudsters to various jail terms.

The convicts are: Oladele Pius, Emmanuel Bulus , Elijah Elisha , Alamin Mohammed Bappa  , Jamilu Usman ,and Enoch Solomon

Others are :  Emmanuel Anthony, Enebeli  Samuel Isreal , Dimas Hyellabulatin, Emmanuel Dike , Joshua Umoru  and Dan Eden Sunday.

They were separately  arraigned between November  6 and 7, 2024  on a one count charge of cheating and impersonation by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.

The charge against Alamin Muhammad Bappa reads: “Alamin Muhammad Bappa sometimes in September, 2024 at Sangere area of Modibo Yola, Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud one Amity Shane and other unsuspecting foreign nationals, created some fake Gmail’ and Facebook accounts using the name Jacob sermon to pose as a cybersecurity professional that helps people to recover their compromised or blocked Facebook accounts for a service fee of $20 each and thereby committed an offense of cheating by impersonation contrary to Section 314 of Penal Code Law of Adamawa State, 2018 and punishable under Section 315 of the same law”.

The charge against Oladele Pius reads: “ that you Oladele Pius sometimes in September, 2024 in Yola, Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being a student of Modibo Adamawa University of Technology Yola, with intent to defraud, did cheat by Impersonation, Having created and operating one Mr. Legit Hassan Abbadin a foreign national with Whatsapp account No. +1 (842) 921332016, through your Your iphone 11 Model No. MWNC2CH/A for ” a virtual funds transactions” with a motive of gaining a financial advantage from other unsuspecting internet users  and thereby committed an offense of cheating by impersonation contrary to Section 314 of Penal Code Law of Adamawa State, 2018 and punishable under Section 315 of the  same law

Upon arraignment , the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges,   prompting prosecution counsel  Saad .H Sa’ad and M.D Aliyu to pray  the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly; however, counsels to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy .

Justice  Lawanson thereafter convicted and sentenced  Bulus , Elisha , Usman and Israel to ten years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each.  However,  Hyellabulati bagged five years imprisonment or a  fine of N200,000

Justice Tola convicted and sentenced  Dike , Umoru , Sunday and Pius to five years imprisonment with an option of fine of N2,000,000( Two Million Naira )each

Justice Lawal  convicted and sentenced  Bappa and Solomon  to five years imprisonment or a fine of  N200,000 each .

Justice Isha convicted and sentenced Anthony to ten years imprisonment or a fine of  N300,000 (Three hundred thousand Naira)

The Judges  ruled that the mobile phones recovered during investigation be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria .

In addition, Justice Lawal ordered that the sum of $20 recovered during investigation from Bappa and being  proceeds of crime,   be returned to the victim.

The convicts were arrested  on September 24, 2024  around Modibo Adamawa University of Technology area of Yola, Adamawa State by  operatives of the Commission  following actionable intelligence linking them with cybercrimes activities. They were charged to court and convicted.

The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arrested one Halima Yakubu Ngulde for suspected involvement in employment fraud.

She was arrested in Unguwan Kanawa, Kaduna State, following credible intelligence linking her to obtaining money from job seekers on fraudulent promise of getting job placements for them in the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army and the EFCC.

Items recovered from her upon her arrest included a fake EFCC letter headed paper and multiple curriculum vitae job seekers.

A statement issued by the Spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale on Friday said she will be charged in court as soon as investigation into the matter is concluded.

Justice A. N. Erhabor of Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City between November 18 and 20 convicted and sentenced 15 internet fraudsters to various jail terms

The convicts are Egbai Jude, Diamond Aliza, Ugochukwu Chijindu, Oboh Isaac, Olabode Bright, Ngbakor Godstime Oghechi, Agbi Paul, Amadin Samuel and Imade Nelson Ikponwonmwosa.

Others are Osasenge Eguavoen Daniel, Emeka Ebube, Friday Edosa Elijah, Alfred Stanley Godbless, Ifeanyi Amadi Omote and John Ogheneyole.

They were prosecuted on one-count separate charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence, retention of proceeds of crime and possession of fraudulent documents by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Commission.

The charge against Egbai reads: “That you Jude Egbai (m) on or about the 30th of October, 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did have in your possession documents which you knew or ought to have known contained false pretence, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

All the defendants pleaded guilty to their charges when they were read to them, prompting the prosecution counsel, F.A Jirbo, I.M Elodi, K Y. Bello, Isa K. Agwai,  Ibrahim Faisal and Salihu Ahmed to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that they have become remorseful for their actions.

On Wednesday, November 20, Osasenge Eguavoen Daniel, Emeka Ebube, Friday Edosa Elijah, Alfred Stanley Godbless, Ifeanyi Amadi Omote and John Ogheneyole were convicted and sentenced by Justice Erhabor to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira).

On Tuesday, November 19, Justice Erhabor convicted and sentenced Imade Nelson Ikponmwosa to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.

Justice Erhabor on Monday November 18 convicted and sentenced Egbai Jude, Diamond Aliza, Ugochukwu Chijindu, Oboh Isaac, Olabode Bright, Ngbakor Godstime Oghechi, Agbi Paul, to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200, 000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each while Amadin Samuel bagged three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.

The judge ordered the forfeiture of one Red Lexus 2005 ES350 recovered from Ugochukwu Chijinda, one Lexus RX350 2010 model recovered from Emeka Ebube, one Mercedes Benz Glk 350 2010 model from Friday Edosa Elijah, one Mercedes Benz C300 2012 model from Alfred Stanley Godbless and one RX350 2010 model from Omote John Ogheneyole being proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

All the convicts forfeited their phones, laptops, and balances in their respective bank accounts to the Federal Government of Nigeria as proceeds of crime and to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour henceforth.

The convicts’  journey to the Correctional Centre began following their arrest by operatives of the Benin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC through a sting operation owing to their involvement in fraudulent internet activities.