A Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Ibrahim Musa Karaye, has sentenced two fraudsters, Benjamin Okechukwu Udeagwu, and Benjamin Amos Olamide, to three years imprisonment for internet-related offences.
In a statement posted on it official social media handle X (formerly Twitter), the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) said the two were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges bordering on internet fraud upon their arraignment by the Kano Zonal Command of the EFCC.
The charge against Udeagwu partly reads, “That You, Benjamin Okechukwu Udeagwu sometime in September, 2023 in Kano within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kano with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $50 by fraudulently impersonating as Brad George a citizen of United States of America which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence of cheating by personation contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of same law.”
Also the charge against Olamide added, “That you Benjamin Amos Olamide ‘m’ sometime in 2022 at Kano, Kano State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did dishonestly induce unsuspecting victims to deliver to you a total sum of $500 (Five Hundred dollars only) to you as Terry Vince who lives in United States of America, through a gmail account waytospace420cgmail.com which presence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of cheating contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law of Kano State and punishable under Section 322 of the same law”.
In view of their pleas, EFCC’s counsels, Abubakar Hassan Elbadawi and Fatima Mustapha prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Counsels for the defendants, M.J Ella, and M.E Ogah, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, stressing that “the defendants were first- time offenders and have regretted their actions”.
Justice Karaye convicted and sentenced Udeagwu to one year imprisonment or an option of fine of N20,000 (Twenty Thousand Naira only).
Olamide, on the other hand, was also convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N20,000 (Twenty Thousand Naira only).
The two convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC for impersonation and internet-related offences.
