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43 Internet Fraudsters Convicted In Awka, Sentenced To Prison

The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of 43 internet fraudsters before Justice Evelyn Anyadike at the Federal High Court, Awka, Anambra State.

The convicts, including Momoh Victor Abdulkareem, Paul Emmanuel, and others, were charged with various cybercrime offenses, such as impersonation, possession of fraudulent documents, and obtaining by false pretenses.

Each of the convicts was sentenced to eight months in prison with an option of a ₦100,000 fine.

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Four others Nwankwo Stephen, Victor Izuchukwu, Eyinna Emmanuel, and Ezra Ikechukwu were given two months of community service supervised by the Deputy Court Registrar.

Convicted Internet Fraudsters
Convicted Fraudsters

The charges against the fraudsters ranged from impersonating foreign nationals on social media platforms to obtaining money fraudulently from unsuspecting victims.

All these violate Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015.

Items recovered from the convicts, such as mobile phones and laptops, were ordered by the court to be auctioned.

Proceeds from the sales are to be paid into the federal government’s account.

The fraudsters were apprehended in l Abakaliki and Awka, following credible intelligence that linked them to online criminal activities.

EFCC’s legal team, led by Michael Ikechukwu Ani, presented evidence that the convicts had used fake WhatsApp and Google accounts to impersonate individuals from countries like the United Kingdom and China, aiming to defraud foreign nationals.

Defense counsels, including Ifeanyi Michael Odoh and James Nwatarali, pleaded for leniency.

They argued that the convicts, most of whom were first-time offenders, had shown remorse for their actions.

The court, however, issued the sentences while maintaining that justice must be served to deter further criminal activity.

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