Edo court jails five Internet fraudsters

The Edo State High Court in Benin City, presided over by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, has found five Internet fraudsters guilty and sentenced them to different prison terms.

A statement made available to According Metro on Wednesday said the convicts are Jacob Sunday,  Olarenwaju Adewale, Emmanuel Tomiwa Ajayi, Adewale Elufadejin Festus and Seyi Olumeko Sunday, noting that Adewale had earlier been jailed on March 5 while Ajayi Festus and Olumeko had been jailed on February 29.

They were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charge bordering on possession of fraudulent documents upon arraignment by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

 All the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, I.K Agwai, K. Y. Bello, A. A. Ibrahim, to pray to the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

However, counsel for the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy as they had become remorseful for their actions.

Justice Ikponmwonba convicted and sentenced Sunday, Adewale, Olumeko and Festus to three years imprisonment or a fine of N100,000.00 each.

While Ajayi bagged three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.

The judge ordered that the convicts should forfeit their phones, and balances in their various bank accounts being proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

All the convicts are to undertake in writing to be of good behaviour afterwards.

The convicts’ road to the correctional centre began following their arrest by operatives of the Benin Zonal Command of the commission based on actionable intelligence regarding their involvement in fraudulent activities.

According Metro reported on Tuesday that the EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Command, had secured the conviction and sentencing of seven Internet fraudsters to various jail terms.