Justice Efe Ikponmwonba of the State High Court, Benin- City, Edo State, has convicted and sentenced 13 (thirteen) internet fraudsters to different jail terms.
They were jailed on October 24 and 25, 2023 after pleading guilty to one-count separate charge bordering on possession of proceeds of crime and unlawful possession of fraudulent documents, upon their arraignment by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The anti-graft agency in a statement issued Friday said the convicts are: Eboh Chukwuma, Onyeukwu Emmanuel Onyeka, Ebuka Odukwe, Omozuafo Collins, Elect Osayuwu, Omorogbe Christian, Odiete Timothy, Odede Enitome Patrick and Benjaminm Ese, Ayodele Eugene, Eric Onwusiwekwu, Bolum Ogechukwu and Courage Sule.
The charge against Odukwe reads: “that you Ebuka Osita Odukwe sometimes between 2022 and 2023 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did take possession of the aggregate sum of N8,908,831.00 knowing that same represent proceeds of your criminal conduct to wit: cybercrime and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(1)(a) and punishable under Section 18 (2), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment ) Act 2004.”
It said all the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsels, IK Agwai , Salihu Ahmed , Ibrahim Faisal and A.A. Ibrahim, to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
The agency noted that counsels to the defendants prayed the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendants were first time offenders who had been remorseful.
Justice Ikponmwonba thereafter convicted and sentenced Odukwe, Patrick, Christian , Osayuwa, Collins, Onyeka, Eugene, Onwusiwekwu, Chukwuma, Ogechukwu and Sule to three years imprisonment each, with an option of fine of N200, 000.
Ese and Timothy were also sentenced to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.
The judge also ruled that a black Toyota Camry 2014 model recovered from Ndukwe, HP laptop, mobile phones and money found in their bank accounts, being proceeds and instruments of crime, be forfeited to the federal government through the EFCC and their bank accounts permanently closed.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of one black washing machine, playstation 4 console, three pairs of shoes, and five mobile phones recovered from the convicts to the government.
The convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the Commission, based on actionable intelligence linking them with internet fraud around Asaba , Delta State. They were prosecuted and convicted.