Court Jails Five Internet Fraudsters in Benin City
Justice Efe Ikponmwonba of Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City has convicted and sentenced five internet fraudsters to various jail terms.
The convicts are Jacob Sunday, Olarenwaju Adewale, Emmanuel Tomiwa Ajayi, Adewale Elufadejin Festus and Seyi Olumeko.
Sunday and Adewale were jailed on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 while the trio of Ajayi, Festus and Olumeko were jailed on Thursday February 29, 2024.
They were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents upon arraignment by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The charge against Ajayi reads: "that you Emmanuel Tomiwa Ajayi (m) on or about 12th February 2024 in Benin City, Edo State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did have in your possession documents which you knew or ought to have known contain a false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 6 and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act.2006 and punishable under section 1(3)of same Act."
All the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsels, I.K Agwai, K. Y. Bello, A. A. Ibrahim to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as they have become remorseful for their actions.
Justice Ikponmwonba convicted and sentenced Sunday, Adewale, Olumeko and Festus to three years imprisonment or a fine of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) each while Ajayi bagged three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira).
The judge ordered that the convicts forfeit their phones, balances in their various bank accounts being proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria. All the convicts are to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour afterwards.
The convicts’ road to the Correctional Centre began following their arrest by operatives of the Benin Zonal Command of the Commission based on actionable intelligence regarding their involvement in fraudulent activities.
EFCC Arrests Two Chinese, One Other for Suspected Illegal Mining in Ilorin
..... Nurse, Two others for Suspected Currency Racketeering
Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested two Chinese: Yang Chao, 39, and Xiao Jiang, 38, for suspected illegal mining activities.
They were arrested alongside Chidi Joseph Osuji, 48, suspected to be an accomplice in the illegal business.
Acting on intelligence, the suspects were trailed to their mining sites located at Ogunmakin and Ogere, Ogun State, where they were arrested after days of surveillance.
Preliminary investigations showed that Chao and Chidi are working as factory manager and machine operator respectively with Cruis Chemical Nigeria Limited located at Ogunmakin in Ogun State, while Jiang works with John Odiba Multibiz as an assistant manager in Ogere, Ogun State.
The suspects who operate as a cartel allegedly specialise in illegal mining of minerals such as marble stone, white powder, lithium and lepidolite, among others, which they transport outside the country through illegitimate means for private gains.
Investigations also linked the three suspects as owners of the solid minerals being conveyed by the 41 suspects arrested with truck loads of minerals at Share, Banni, Lade, Patigi and Okolowo in Kwara, and Igbeti and Ogbomosho in Oyo state by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC on on February 5, 2024. They were arrested for engaging in mining activities without requisite licences.
In another vein, the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC have also arrested the trio of Sallah Asmau Wuraola, Owoduni Abdullahi Isa (a.k.a Bolaji) who are Point of Sale, PoS cashiers and one Shuaibu Rukayat, a nurse from Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State, for allegedly selling new naira notes of different denominations to customers for commercial purposes.
The arrest of the suspects followed credible intelligence on elements selling new naira notes to people at event centers, night clubs, hotels and parties without due authorization.
Wuraola and Rukayat were caught with the sum of N1,220,000.00 (One Million, Two hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira Only) while Isa was arrested with the sum of N150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only).
The suspects would soon be charged to court.