The Uyo Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said it has secured the conviction and sentencing of five internet fraudsters.
The convicts, Churchill Tam Kridi, Aniekpeno Aniekan John, Samuel Emmanuel Ngozi, Enoch Mfoniso Ofonime, and Endurance Friday aged between 19 and 28 years were arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State on Wednesday.
While Kridi and John were arraigned on a separate one-count charge, Friday, Ofonime, and Ngozi were arraigned on separate two-count charges, all bordering on impersonation and obtaining by false pretence.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC has secured a conviction of one Oluwayemisi Samuel and her Son, Joshua Samuel, before Justice A.A Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on separate one-count charges each bordering on false information.
Oluwayemisi and Joshua were said to have squandered the sum of N5,600,000 on sports betting and caused a false petition to be sent to the EFCC, alleging that the money was fraudulently withdrawn from their Opay account to a sports betting account without their authorisation by an unknown individual.
However, they pleaded guilty to the charges. In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel N. Salele urged the court to convict them accordingly.
Justice Bello, however, convicted and sentenced both defendants to 7 years imprisonment each with an option of N150,000 fine.
