The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office, has arrested 18 suspected internet fraudsters in Lagos.
A statement by the commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, on Friday, which was made available to TheNiche, said the suspects who
were arrested in the early hours of Friday, September 27, 2019 at different locations in the Alagbado area of Lagos State, included Abass Mukhtar, Enitan Adekunle, Olakunle Araoyinbo, Korede Adetule, Christmas Gabriel, Christmas Yole, Christmas Emmanuel and Harrison Obayogbono.
Others suspects who were nabbed following intelligence received by the Commission about their alleged involvement in criminal activities include Victor Kenneth, Adewale Musibau, Oluwajuwon Shofuyi, Idris Abdulazeez, Oyeku Adeoye, Omilana Adeleke, Okeke Chucks, Peters Olamide, Abayomi Jones and Usman Olalekan.
EFCC said during the raid, about five of the suspects attempted to escape arrest by hiding in the ceiling of their apartments but they were fished out and arrested.
Items recovered from the suspects include charms, phones, laptops and five cars-Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry 2004 model, Toyota Camry 2007 model, Toyota Camry 1999 model and Honda Pilot.
The suspects would soon be charged to court.
EFCC Nabs 28 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Enugu
A similar raid by the Enugu Zonal office of the Commission also yielded positive results.
A statement by Uwujaren said the EFCC, “in its resolve to completely wipe out the menace of internet and cyber crimes popularly known as ‘ Yahoo Yahoo’ in the South East on Thursday September, 2019 raided two residential buildings at Maryland, Enugu where 28 suspected fraudsters were arrested.
“The arrests were made following intelligence obtained by the Commission regarding activities of some of the suspects alleged to have defrauded many unsuspecting victims (within and outside the country) of huge sums of money through their nefarious operations.
“In the course of executing search at the residences of the suspects, many of them attempted destroying some phones found on them with a female suspect, caught trying to flush a broken Iphone down the toilet, which was however recovered.
“Some incriminating items recovered from the suspects include; four (4) Apple Macbook,two (2) Iphone Xmax, other Iphones and HP laptop computers,. Other items include two (2) Toyota Camry ,four (4) Toyota Corolla, one (1) Mercedez Benz GL450 cars and several mobile phones.
“The suspects who have volunteered their statements, will be charged to court as soon investigations are concluded.”
Three Jailed for Impersonation In Ibadan
Meanwhile, three persons were on Thursday, September 26, 2019 found guilty of criminal impersonation by the Federal High Court, Ibadan, and sentenced to prison terms.
The trio – Augustine Ekeson, Obinna Ureahi Ifeanyi and Osho Olalekan Micheal – were convicted in cases filed against them by the Ibadan zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Patricia Ajoku, after considering the facts of an amended one-count charge against Obinna and Augustine, pronounced them guilty and sentenced them to two years imprisonment each.
The duo had earlier been arraigned on a three-count charge based on the allegations raised against them in a petition received from one Mobolade Dele Akinbuluma, a Doctoral student of the University of Ibadan.
Akinbuluma alleged that the accused hacked into her email account to misrepresent themselves as staff of a Kenyan university where she was to undertake a study as part of her doctorate programme.
She was, in the process, defrauded of N875,490 (Eight hundred and seventy five thousand four hundred and ninety Naira).
The duo pleaded not-guilty to the charge, but later approached the EFCC for a plea bargain.
Following an agreement on the terms of the plea bargain, they were re-arraigned on Thursday on a one-count amended charge.
The latest charge reads: “That you Augustine Ekeson M and Obinna Ureahl Ifeanyi on or about the 3rd of December 2015 at Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did conspire amongst yourself to commit felony to wit: fraudulently impersonated one Mrs. Lillian Igweta, a secretary to Professor Torto with intent to gain advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(4) of the same Act.”
They pleaded guilty to the charge, prompting a prayer by the EFCC counsel, Ifeanyi Agwu, for their conviction.
The presiding judge accordingly sentenced them to two years imprisonment each.
Meanwhile, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, equally of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, also jailed Osho on Thursday for an internet-related offence.
Osho was found guilty of falsely representing himself to be an American citizen named Jack, using same to defraud one Maria.
He was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to make restitution of $200 (two hundred United States Dollars) to his victim. The jail term takes effect from April 3, 2019, day he was arrested.
He is also to forfeit to the Federal Government of Nigeria items recovered from him in the course of investigation.
