The Enugu Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) achieved a significant milestone in its fight against cybercrime by securing the conviction of three individuals engaged in internet fraud.
Anyanwu Prince Uzoma, Okume Clinton Chukwuemeka, and Jude Onyekachi, who were arraigned before Justice Nnadi O. Dimgba of the Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State, have all been found guilty of impersonation and attempting to obtain money by false pretenses.
The convictions were based on a one-count charge brought against them, which read, “That you, Jude Onyekachi, sometime in the year 2023 at Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, fraudulently impersonated one Wilfred Baston from the United States by means of your iPhone 11 via a fake Google chat account with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself from unsuspecting foreign nationals, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(3)(a) & (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, and punishable under Section 22(4) of the same Act.”
All three defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, leading to Justice Dimgba’s decision to convict and sentence each of them to one year of imprisonment.
However, the judge also provided an alternative option, allowing them to pay a fine of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000) each. In addition, Justice Dimgba ruled that all items recovered from the convicts be forfeited to the Federal Government.
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