Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, May 23, 2025, convicted and sentenced three internet fraudsters to jail.
The convicts, Oko Gift, Fashola Alabi Quadri and Dauda Umar, were arraigned on Friday, May 23, 2025, by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on separate charges of fraudulently impersonating United States of America citizens.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Dauda Umar, on or about the 19th of May, 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, directly made a false statement, wherein you held yourself out as a white woman by name "Katie Peggie" on your Google account, knowing same to be false and with intent that the representation is relied upon for the purpose of procuring the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015.”
They each pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie and Z.B. Atiku, reviewed the facts of the cases through Nadabo Yusuf Isah and Saidu Abubakar, who are both investigative officers with the EFCC.
Both Isah and Abubakar confirmed that the defendants were arrested by operatives of the EFCC and that fraudulent documents were printed from the devices recovered from them.
They also stated that the defendants made confessional statements dated May 19 and 20, 2025.
Okezie and Atiku, thereafter, prayed the court to admit in evidence the defendants’ extra-judicial statements and the fraudulent documents printed from their devices tendered through the investigators.
Consequently, Justice Owoeye convicted and sentenced Gift to two years imprisonment, with an option of fine of N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira).
While Quadri bagged two years imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N450,000 (Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), Umar was jailed three years, with a fine of N250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
The Judge ordered that their devices be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arraigned by the EFCC for internet fraud. They were found guilty, convicted and sentenced to various jail terms.
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