Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, July 1, 2024, adjourned till October 28, 2024 further hearing in the trial of one Alhaji Usman Abubakar  and  Young Alhaji Foundation over an alleged N950m  forex fraud.

Abubakar, alongside Young Alhaji Foundation, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a five-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing to the tune of N950 million.

One of the counts reads: “Alhaji Usman Abubakar, Young Alhaji Foundation and Dr. Abu Omer Fawaz (at large), sometime in September 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to obtain the sum of N950, 000,000 from Ano Farms Limited under the false pretence that you had the dollar equivalent of the said sum, which pretence you knew to be false.”

Another count reads: “Alhaji Usman Abubakar and Young Alhaji Foundation, on the 20th of September 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, attempted to dishonestly convert the sum of N180,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Eighty Million Naira), property of Ano Farms Limited to the use of Abdullahi Mohammed.”

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when he was first arraigned on February 22, 2023.

Under cross-examination by counsel to the second  defendant, G. C. Ugwunweze at Monday proceedings, the first  prosecution witness, PW1, Niyi Oyewole, who is the nominal complainant and Managing Director of Ano Farms Limited,  again reaffirmed his testimony that Fawaz linked him up with the defendant and that he, thereafter, transferred the money to him. He, however, stated that when the dollar equivalent was not forthcoming, Fawaz told him that Young Alhaji had been instructed to return the funds.

During the proceedings, Ugwunweze tendered some documents regarding a related case before the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ajah as well as a letter to the bank on payment instruction.

They were admitted as exhibits p4, p5 and p6, respectively.

Justice Dada adjourned the case till October 28 and 29, 2024 for continuation of trial.

Justices Darius Khobo and A.A. Isiaka of The Kaduna State High Court and Hawau Buhari of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, have convicted and sentenced six individuals for internet fraud.

The convicts, Abubakar Shettima (a.k.a Dennis Hueber), Timileyin Akinsola (a.k.a James Smith), Favour Onoja (a.k.a Dean Leon), Naphtali Bako (a.k.a Benjah), Suleiman Ibrahim (a.k.a Rico_Mod2), and Festus Gabriel (a.k.a Sandra Will), faced various jail terms for cheating and impersonation.

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted the six convicts on separate one-count charges.

Timileyin Akinsola was charged with impersonating an American citizen, James Smith, on Instagram between January and May 2024, and cheating Larry Fletcher of $125. Akinsola’s offence contravened Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and was punishable under Section 309.

Naphtali Bako faced charges for impersonating an American musician named Benjah on Facebook in April 2024, and cheating Alois Whitfield of N60,000.

Bako’s offence also violated Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017, and was punishable under Section 309.

All the convicts pleaded guilty to their charges. Prosecution counsels Kehinde Ogunalde, Musa Usman Gadaka, and Kehinde Ogunlade urged the courts to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justice Khobo sentenced Shettima to three years imprisonment or a fine of N400,000, and Akinsola to five years imprisonment or a fine of N450,000.

Justice Isiaka sentenced Onoja to five years imprisonment or a fine of N400,000, and Bako to seven years imprisonment or a fine of N400,000.

Justice Buhari sentenced Ibrahim to 14 years imprisonment or a fine of N300,000, and Gabriel to four years imprisonment or a fine of N500,000.

Additionally, the convicts forfeited their communication gadgets, used in their crimes, to the Federal Government.

The sentences came after their arrests for internet-related offences, leading to their court trials and subsequent convictions.

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Ilela border command has thwarted an attempted human trafficking operation, rescuing two underage girls and arresting a 25-year-old woman, Rukaya Hassan.

The Command Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Mohammed Abdullahi, announced the rescue in a statement on Tuesday.

Hassan was apprehended while trying to traffic the two girls across the border into Niger Republic. The victims have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation.

Abdullahi stated that the operation was a swift response to the directives of the new Comptroller-General of Immigration (CGI), Mrs. Kemi Nandap. During interrogation, Hassan, a resident of Giribshi area in Sokoto, admitted she did not know the two girls she was accompanying.

She claimed they were handed over to her by a woman in Sokoto, identified as Maman Adnan, who paid for their transport to Niger.

Hassan further explained that Adnan requested her help to take the girls to another woman in Niger, named Amina Yunusa, who promised them jobs in her restaurant in Niamey.

The rescued teenagers, Nabila Ibrahim (17) and Zainab Ibrahim (15), revealed that they were from Zuru LGA in Kebbi State. They disclosed that they were travelling to Niger to work at a restaurant, a trip approved by their parents, despite not knowing the restaurant’s owner.

Comptroller of Immigration, Ilela Command, Tony Akuneme, who conducted the interviews, invited NAPTIP Sokoto State to take charge of the victims and the suspected trafficker. Akuneme reiterated his commitment to combating the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, in line with the CGI’s efforts.