Seven Internet Fraudsters Sentenced to Prison in Edo, Delta
Between December 10 and 12, 2024, seven internet fraudsters were sentenced to various jail terms by Justices A.N. Erhabor, W.I. Aziegbemhin, and F.A. Olubanjo. The verdicts were delivered at the Edo State High Court in Benin City and the Federal High Court in Asaba.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) shared the details of the convictions on its official X handle (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
The convicted fraudsters included Precious Okeleke, Austine Iwuner, Saint Felix, Ododo Mathias, Idahosa Kelvin, Bankole Adaranijo, and Owie Osasenago Stephen. They were found guilty of charges including obtaining money by false pretense, possession of fraudulent documents, and retaining the proceeds of crime.
The cases were handled by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC. One of the charges read, “That you, Precious Okeleke (m), on or about the 30th of October, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did have in your possession documents which you knew or ought to have known contained false pretense, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 6 and 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
All seven defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. The prosecution team, led by F.A. Jirbo, I.M. Elodi, and K.Y. Bello, urged the court to impose appropriate sentences. In defense, the lawyers for the convicts asked for leniency, arguing that their clients had shown remorse.
On Tuesday, December 10, Justice W.I. Aziegbemhin sentenced Precious Okeleke to two years in prison or a fine of N200,000, while Justice F.A. Olubanjo sentenced Austine Iwuner to two years in prison or a fine of N500,000.
On Wednesday, December 11, Justice A.N. Erhabor sentenced Saint Felix and Ododo Mathias to three years in prison each or a fine of N200,000.
On Thursday, December 12, Justice Aziegbemhin sentenced Osasenago Stephen to three years in prison or a fine of N200,000. Justices Erhabor, Idahosa Kelvin, and Bankole Adaranijo were sentenced to two years in prison each or a fine of N200,000.
In addition to the prison sentences, the convicts were ordered to forfeit their phones, laptops, and bank account balances to the Federal Government. They were also required to sign written undertakings to behave lawfully in the future.
The convicts were arrested during a sting operation by EFCC operatives in the Benin Zonal Directorate. The operation followed intelligence reports linking the individuals to fraudulent internet activities.
