Edo court jails five internet fraudsters

Eric Patrick

Justices Igho Braimoh and G. O. Imadegbelo of Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City have convicted and sentenced five internet fraudsters to various jail terms.

The convicts are Terry Ekhator, Sydney Momoh, Paul Obi, Celab Ndubuisi and Idahosa Eghosa.

This was made known in a statement shared on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commasion on its Facebook page on Friday.  

According to the statement, the suspects were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence, possession of fraudulent documents upon arraignment by the EFCC.

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them in court.

One of the count charge read, "That you Terry Ekhator (m) on or about the 22nd of July, 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did have in your possession documents which you knew or ought to have known contain a false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 and 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act."

The prosecution counsel, K.Y. Bello and A. A. Al-Amin to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, maintaining that they have become remorseful for their actions.

Justice Braimoh on Thursday August 8, 2024 convicted and sentenced Ekhator and Momoh to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200, 000( Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each while Obi bagged three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.

On Friday August 9,  Ndubuisi was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 while

on Wednesday July 31, Eghosa was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.

All the convicts forfeited  their phones, laptops, balances in their various bank accounts, being instruments and proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria. They are to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour afterwards.