Crime
Court orders internet fraudster to clean EFCC premises for three days
An FCT High Court yesterday ordered Okwo Mark to clean the premises of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for three days for internet fraud.
Mark was docked by the EFCC for pretending to be Stella Coleman, an American citizen, working as an FBI agent. He pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency.
Delivering judgment, Justice Aliyu Shafa, sentenced also Mark to three months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N50,000.
The judge ordered Mark to clean the EFCC office from 8 a.m. to noon, under the supervision of an official of the Legal Department.
He ordered that the phone used by the convict to perpetuate the crime be completely destroyed, adding that it should be burn and evidence of the destruction should be brought before the court.
“I have carefully listened to the plea of allocutus made by the said convict and the defence Counsel.
“The rate of internet fraud especially among youths in the society is so alarming and the court will not allow the convict to go unpunished as this will serve as a deterrent to others that wants to toll same path,” he ruled.
Shafa ordered that the proceed from the crime which was 500 U.S. Dollar be returned to the nominal complainant and the receipt brought back to the court as evidence as this will help to portray the country well.
Earlier, the convict had pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy, adding that he would not indulge in such act again.I promise I will not engage in such act again,” he pleaded.
The Defence Counsel, Ms B.E. Danjuma, in support of the allocutus by the convict, told the court that Mark, who had no previous conviction record in Nigeria was remorseful and repentant.
“Mark, is a young man who was cut up with bad company. He is just 21 years with a promising future. He regrets the consequences of his act.
“The convict has shown remorse and genuinely repented over the crime he has committed against the nation, by way of expressing genuine repentance he has restituted the proceed of crime which is the sum of $500.
“The convict is a first time offender. We urge my Lord to tamper justice with mercy,” she pleaded.
The EFCC Counsel, M.M.Gwani, told the court that Mark sometimes in 2022 within the jurisdiction of the Court cheated.
Gwani said that the convict deceived while pretending to be Stella Coleman an American citizen working with an FBI agent.
He said that the convict cheated by inducing Arnold under the pretence to deliver to him 500 U.S Dollars which the convict used for his own personal use.
He said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 320 of the Penal Code Act Law of the Federation (Abuja), 1990 and punishable under Section 322 of the same Act.
It was a hard truth that needed to be told, because it changed the atmosphere, but not for good as one person was reportedly killed and over10 critically injured.
Without any warning or provocation, over hundred boys armed with cutlasses, sticks and AK47 rifles, from suburbs and communities such as: Odogbolu, Ososa, Idoha, Ikenne, Ijebu-Imushin, Sagamu and Imodi unleashed mayhem as they disturbed the peace of the area. The rioters ignited the violence from the night before the Eld adha celebration.
The hoodlums were said to be looking for one Akeem Adesanya dead or alive. Akeem Adesanya, Bashiru Suraju Sanni, Bayo Adetunde and Hamzat Mammne were the alleged bisexual individuals being hunted by the hoodlums.
They claimed that many young men all around the town were missing and the story behind their disappearance is the fast spreading tale of strange immoral behaviour and characters (homosexuality). The rampaging youths believe that religiously, culturally and naturally Nigerians would not allow, condone or accept such highly unscrupulous behaviours.
Homes and families of the alleged victims were attacked over failure to produce them.
They accosted a young woman, mother of two, begged for her life and confessed that she has not set her eyes or know the whereabouts of Akeem Adesanya, her baby father for the past two years.
The uprising was subdued by the community elders in order to keep and maintain the peace in the community.
The Nigeria Customs Service said its operatives intercepted nine containers carrying offensive items including arms, ammunition, Illicit drugs and second-hand clothes worth N13.9 billion.
The Comptroller-General, NCS, Adewale Adeniyi disclosed this on Monday while addressing journalists in Onne Port, Rivers State.
Adeniyi said one of the containers which originated from Turkey, based on the number of risk factors associated with the importation, became a subject of interest to the service.
Giving details of the container, the CG said, “We have followed its sail across continents and we’ve benefitted immensely from credible information through our collaboration with intelligence communities both at local, national and international levels,”
According to him, the importer tried to circumvent the procedure through the outlet of a private-bonded terminal.
“On Friday 21st of June 2024, the auspicious container was subjected to a thorough physical examination. Inside the container were 844 units of assorted riffles and 12,500 pieces of life ammunition,” which Adeniyi said were “concealed with various items like doors, furniture fittings and leather bags.”
An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Idi Musa, on Monday testified against a social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha popularly known as Mompha, charged with six billion Naira money laundering.
Mustapha, still at large, is standing trial alongside his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd., on eight counts bordering on money laundering.
Musa, the sixth prosecution witness, while being led in evidence by the EFCC Counsel, Mr Suleiman Suleiman, told the court how he came across Mompha and his company during the investigation.
He said the commission received an intelligence information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that Mompha and his company led a cybercrime in the United States of America.
“Sometimes in 2019, we received intelligence information from the FBI, U.S.A which was addressed to the commission informing us that first and second defendants were leading a cybercrime in U.S. A known as yahoo yahoo.
“The intelligence information indicated that the first and second defendants belong to a syndicate operating between Nigeria and across border, defrauding some internet users.
“In the course of investigation, some letters were written to Zenith Bank requesting for account statement of the second defendant and also to the other bank linked to the first defendant, which include Fidelity Bank, and the account statement received was analysed.
“During the analysis, we discovered N30 billion inflow through the account of the first defendant in Fidelity Bank and about N5 billion in Zenith Bank account,” he said.
The witness further said letters were written to the FBI and the Special Fraud Unit of EFCC regarding the defendant claiming he was into Bureau De Change (BDC).
He added that letter was written to the Central Bank of Nigeria and other relevant agencies.
The witness said that investigation revealed that the first defendant did not reside in Nigeria and efforts to get across to him proved abortive.
“A letter was written to the Nigeria Immigration Services on Oct.16, 2019, to arrest the defendant anytime he arrives Nigeria.
“On Oct.18, 2019, the first defendant got the information that the commission was looking for him, while he was in Nigeria, he quickly got to airport, boarded a flight in other to escape arrest.
“The team got the information through the immigration at the airport but Mompha had already boarded the flight.
“He was arrested along with his properties and handed over to the EFCC,” he said.
Musa told the court that over N30 billion was discovered in Mompha’s Fidelity Bank account and that he was into the bureau de change business, a representation he knew to be false.
He added that the commission concluded investigation on offences bordering on money laundering, operating BDC without a licence, in which Mompha was still standing trial before Justice Emma of Federal High Court, Ikoyi.
“The combination of the FBI and an investigative report on Mompha’s iPhone, revealed that Mompha’s iPhone was used to send account details to a United Arab Emirates telephone number he used to search for swift codes of a bank.
“During the course of his arrest, all the properties recovered were registered with exhibits keeper in the EFCC office and most of the properties were released to him on bond, except his I-phone 8 that was still with the commission.
“All the items are proceeds of crime because when he was given assets declaration form to declared his assets, he did not include those items,” the witness said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prosecution tendered two documents, the statement of first defendant and asset declaration which was admitted into evidence and labeled exhibit p5 and p6.
Justice Mojisola Dada, however, adjourned the case until Oct.8 for continuation of trial.
Bi-Courtney debunks ticket racketeering allegation at MMA2
Nigerians spend over N16.5trn annually on fuel, servicing generator – Adelabu
