The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction of 18 internet fraudsters in separate court proceedings held in Bauchi and Yola.
Justices Aminu Garba and Aisha A. Ibrahim of the Federal High Courts 1 and 2 in Bauchi, and Justice Ahmed Isa of the Adamawa State High Court in Yola, handed down various jail terms to the convicts.
The convicts, including Fumi Joshua, Nathan Timothy Aruku, Femi Johnson Adelowo, Chimieze Alajemba, Jeremiah Pam Samuel, Emmanuel Shadrach, Ibrahim Yusuf, Shikaan Martin’s, Mishack Daniel, Jerry Moses, Joseph Yagat Baye, Emmanuel Pontiff, Godiya Simon, Noble Max, Perfect Nuhu, Agbande A. Bature, Fred Omale, and Yasar Usman Hamman, were arraigned on separate one-count charges of fraudulent impersonation between November and December 2024 by the EFCC’s Gombe Zonal Directorate.
The EFCC, in a statement posted on its X platform on Tuesday, revealed that one of the charges against Chimieze Alajemba stated that he, “sometime in November 2024 at Bauchi, Bauchi State… fraudulently impersonated one John Miller, an American national, by creating and operating fake Facebook and Gmail accounts… and in the process gained to his advantage the gross sum of $700.”
This act contravenes Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and is punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(vi) of the same Act.
All the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Prosecution counsels S.M. Aliyu, A. Aliyu, and J.D. Tortema urged the courts to convict and sentence them accordingly, while defence counsels pleaded for leniency, citing remorse shown by the defendants.
Justice Garba, on 11 December 2024, sentenced Pontiff to seven months’ imprisonment with an option of a N130,000 fine and Omale to a N170,000 fine in lieu of a seven-month jail term. On 10 December 2024, Joshua, Bayi, and Daniel received seven-month sentences or a N170,000 fine each.
Yusuf and Samuel were fined N100,000 each in lieu of imprisonment, while Moses, Shadrach, and Martin’s received seven-month sentences with a N130,000 fine option.
Justice Aisha Ibrahim, on 10 December 2024, sentenced Aruku, Adelewo, Alajemba, and Pam to six months’ imprisonment or a N250,000 fine each. On 28 November 2024, Simon, Max, Bature, and Nuhu received six-month sentences with a N150,000 fine option each.
In a separate case before Justice Ahmed Isa in Yola, Yasar Usman Hamman was convicted on 10 December 2024 on a one-count charge of cheating by impersonation.
The charge stated that Hamman, “sometime in 2024 at Sangere area of Modibbo, Yola, Adamawa State… whilst impersonating ‘benricothetrader,’ attempted to cheat by enticing one Morgan and other unsuspecting foreign nationals to invest their money in your cryptocurrency platform with intent to defraud them.”
This constitutes an attempt to cheat by impersonation, contrary to Section 59 and punishable under Section 315 of the Adamawa State Penal Code Law 2018.
Hamman also pleaded guilty, and Justice Isa sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment with an option of a N200,000 fine.
The judges further ordered the forfeiture of mobile phones recovered from the convicts, deemed as proceeds of crime, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The EFCC’s Gombe Zonal Directorate initiated investigations following intelligence reports on the convicts’ involvement in computer-related fraud.
The EFCC reiterated its commitment to combating cybercrime and bringing perpetrators to justice. They noted that Hamman’s arrest followed intelligence received in September 2024, which uncovered a syndicate of cyber fraudsters operating in the Sangere area of Modibbo, Yola.
