Crime & Court
Two internet fraudsters jailed in Ogun
A Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, presided over by Justice Mohammed Abubakar has convicted and sentenced two internet fraudsters, Ridwan Lekan Garuba and Agbabiaka Idris Adebayo to five months and four months in prison respectively.
The convicts had pleaded guilty to separate one-count charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office.
The charges border on fraud and impersonation.
The charge against Garuba read: “That you Ridwan Lekan Garuba(a.k.a. Jefferson Godwin) sometime in 2020, at Abeokuta, Ogun State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intend to defraud, impersonated one Jefferson Godwin, citizen of the United States of America, by which you obtained benefits and gained advantage from one Ruth Hodges Dennis, a female citizen of the United States of America, a pretext which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i) and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv)of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015”.
While the charge against Agbabiaka read, “That you, Agbabiaka Idris Adebayo ‘m’ ( a.k.a Melissa Brookrose) sometime between 2018 and 2020 at Sango Ota, Ogun State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, impersonated one Charles Stewart, a citizen of the United States of America, by which you obtained benefits and gained advantage from one Christiana, a female citizen of the United States of America, a pretext which you know to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(i)of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act”.
The EFCC counsel in the respective case, Shamsuddeen Bashir urged the court to convict the duo accordingly.
Justice Abubakar consequently convicted and sentenced Garuba to five months in prison with effect from the date of his arrest, while Agbaiaka bagged four months in prison also with effect from the date of his arrest.
Garuba who has already refunded the sum of $1,000 USD (One thousand United States of America Dollars) to his victim through the Federal government of Nigeria, also forfeits his Samsung S6 mobile phone, one MIFI and one Nokia phone
Agbaiaka also forfeits his iPhone mobile phone to the Federal Government of Nigeria, being part of the benefit he derived from his fraudulent act.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Yahaya Bello wanted for an alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2 billion,” Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency announced.
“Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is wanted by the EFCC for offences relating to economic and financial crimes to the tune of N80.2 Billion,” the EFCC stated in a Thursday evening Facebook post titled ‘Ex-Gov Yahaya Bello Wanted By the EFCC.’
“Anybody with information as to his whereabouts should report immediately to the Commission or the nearest police Station,” the statement continued.
This declaration follows the absence of the chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Federal High Court in Abuja earlier in the day for a suit instituted against him by the EFCC.
Consequently, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the suit and called for substituted service and the possible arraignment of Bello for alleged money laundering.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a Delhi-bound passenger, Freeman Charles Ogbonna, at the screening point of terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Ogbonna was detained for ingesting 80 wraps of cocaine.
The arrest took place on Sunday, March 31, 2024, as Ogbonna attempted to board a flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways.
He was in possession of a Liberian international passport under the name Carr Bismark.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the suspect underwent a body scan which detected the presence of illicit drugs. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Ogbonna’s real identity was Freeman Charles Ogbonna.
He was then placed under NDLEA observation, where he began to exhibit signs of discomfort.
“Obviously choked by the volume of illicit drugs in his stomach and another substance taken to hold back excretion, the suspect soon began to retch before starting to vomit and excrete wraps of cocaine he ingested almost simultaneously,” Babafemi stated.
“Over four days, Ogbonna expelled a total of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grams through his mouth and anus. Despite the grave risk to his life, Ogbonna claimed he was coerced into drug trafficking by a relative. He confessed that he was given the drugs to swallow at a hotel in the Ipodo area of Ikeja, with a promise of a cash reward of N300,000 upon successful delivery of the consignment in India”.
The NDLEA has since detained Ogbonna as investigations continue into the drug trafficking operation.
The Federal High Court in Lagos has set April 9, 2024, as the date to sentence the controversial cross-dresser and social media sensation, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
This decision came after Bobrisky pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of Naira abuse brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Abimbola Awogboro, who presided over the case, reserved the date for the sentencing.
The courtroom proceedings commenced promptly at 11:55 am, with Mr. Sulaiman Sulaiman representing the EFCC, and Mr. Ayo Olumofin appearing for the defendant.
During the session, Justice Awogboro directed Bobrisky to uncover his face, previously obscured by a black hijab, which he complied with.
The EFCC initially filed a six-count charge against Bobrisky, but the prosecutor, Sulaiman, requested the court to strike out counts five and six due to an agreement reached with the defendant.
Justice Awogboro granted the request, leaving counts one to four for consideration.
Bobrisky pleaded guilty to each of the four counts, confirming his understanding of the charges brought against him.
The EFCC prosecutor proceeded to present the case’s facts, calling an EFCC Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Bolaji Temitope, as a witness. Temitope outlined how the EFCC became aware of Bobrisky’s actions through intelligence gathering and surveillance of social media activities.
The witness testified to several instances where Bobrisky was observed spraying Naira notes during events, supported by video evidence which was admitted by the court as exhibits.
In a bench ruling, Justice Awogboro convicted Bobrisky as charged, despite his plea for mercy and assertion of ignorance of the law.
Bobrisky, expressing remorse, requested a second chance to educate his followers on the consequences of Naira abuse, citing his substantial social media influence.
His legal counsel urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence and an option of a fine, highlighting Bobrisky’s commitment to reform.
Sentencing has been adjourned till April 9, with Bobrisky facing the possibility of six months imprisonment, a fine of N50,000, or both, in accordance with Section 21(1) of the CBN Act 2007.
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