Judge Ibrahim Karaye of the Kano State High Court found two con artists, Benjamin Udeagwu and Benjamin Olamide, guilty of crimes relating to the internet and sentenced them to three years in jail.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said in a statement released on Wednesday via its official social media account on X (formerly Twitter) that the two were imprisoned following their individual pleas of guilty to one count of internet fraud at their arraignment by the Kano Zonal Command of the EFCC.
“That you Benjamin Udeagwu, sometime in September 2023 in Kano within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kano with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $50 by fraudulently impersonating as Brad George, a citizen of the United States of America which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence of cheating by personation contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of same law,” states the charge against Udeagwu. A criminal offense.
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“That you Benjamin Olamide’m’ sometime in 2022 at Kano, Kano State, within the jurisdiction of this court, did dishonestly induce unsuspecting victims to deliver to you a total sum of $500 as Terry Vince who lives in the United States of America, through a Gmail account, waytospace420cgmail.com, which presence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of cheating contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law of Kano State and punishable under Section 322 of the same law.” Those allegations against Olamide are as follows.
Abubakar Elbadawi and Fatima Mustapha, the counsel of the EFCC, prayed to the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
The defendants’ attorneys, M.J. Ella and M.E. Ogah, begged the judge to balance mercy and justice, emphasizing that “the defendants were first-time offenders and have regretted their actions.”
Udeagwu was found guilty by Karaye and given a sentence of one year in jail or a fine of N20,000.
Olamide, on the other hand, was found guilty as well and given a two-year prison term and a N20,000 fine.