Seven Convicts Forfeit Hotel, N230.3m, and Other Assets in Makurdi
Justice M.S. Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Makurdi, Benue State, has ordered the forfeiture of N232,396,714.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Two Million, Three Hundred and Ninety-Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fourteen Naira), a hotel, and $4,977 (Four Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy-Seven US Dollars) to the federal government from seven fraudsters.
The forfeiture follows the conviction and sentencing of the fraudsters, who were prosecuted on separate one-count charges related to criminal impersonation, money laundering, cybercrime, and obtaining by false pretenses by the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convicts are: Tamaraudeinyefa Shedrack Brakekebebe, Godday Conference Brakekebebe, Terhemba Josiah Asagh, Nyiter Avalumun Elijah, Ahmed Alabi Akindele, Kennedy Torbem Ayanger, and Hwande Aondooungwa James.
The charge against Brakekebebe states: “That you Tamaraudeinyefa Shedrack Brakebebe (24 years old), in Makurdi, Benue State, did retain the sum of N64,762,169.00 (Sixty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty-Nine Naira) in your Access Bank account and N102,750,246.00 (One Hundred and Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira) in your Zenith Bank account, knowing them to be proceeds of cybercrime, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2022.”
For Asagh, the charge reads: “That you Terhemba Josiah Asagh (27 years old), between 2021 and 2025, in Makurdi, Benue State, sent fraudulent electronic messages via Facebook, impersonating an Asian soldier working for the United Nations in the United States of America. This led to unsuspecting foreign victims suffering losses of about $300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand USD), which you converted into your Kuda Bank account and used in building the Century Crip Inn Hotel, Gboko, thus committing an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2015.”
All seven defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when read to them, prompting the prosecuting counsel, M. Yusuf, A.S. Idris, A. Gazali, K.T. Sunday, and Imadifon Igbinidu, to urge the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
After considering both prosecution and defense arguments, Justice Abubakar convicted and sentenced Tamaraudeinyefa Brakekebebe to one year in prison or a fine of N500,000. He also forfeited the sum of N102,750,246.00 (One Hundred and Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira) from his Zenith Bank account and N64,762,169.00 (Sixty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty-Nine Naira) from his Access Bank account to the federal government.
Godday Brakekebebe was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison or a fine of N500,000. Additionally, he forfeited N56,633,246.00 (Fifty-Six Million, Six Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira) from his Zenith Bank account and N200,929.00 (Two Hundred Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Nine Naira) from his Access Bank account to the federal government.
