Two internet fraudsters, Martins Nnabuihe and Joseph Amoto Patrick, have been convicted and sentenced to jail by Justice N. U Sadiq of the Kaduna State High Court on charges bordering on an attempt to cheat by impersonation and cheating by impersonation.
The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the judgement on Monday, August 15, 2022.
In a statement by the commission, trouble started for the defendants when the EFCC received an Intelligence report on their alleged involvement in internet-related fraud.
The anti-graft agency said upon the receipt of the report, they were placed under surveillance, which led to their eventual arrest.
The Commission revealed that Nnabuihe, 2021, had presented himself as Chief Executive Officer of Trade Master FX, an online investment platform, to scam unsuspecting members of the public.
The one count charge for which he was convicted reads, “That you, Nnabuihe Martins, (M) sometime in 2021 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did pretend to be a Chief Executive Officer of one Trade Master FX, an online investment platform when you knew you were not and in such assumed character cheated unsuspecting victims the sum of $500(Five Hundred USD), when you claimed that such monies will be invested and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law of 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
On his part, Patrick had presented himself as Asian person with the names, Chen Zhijin and Shini Iseul, to several unsuspecting victims on social media with the intention to scam them of their hard resources.
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The charge against him reads, “That you, Joseph Amoto Patrick between January and July, 2022 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court attempted to commit an offence and in such an attempt did a certain act towards the commission of the said offence, to wit; falsely presented yourself as Chen Zhijin and Shini Iseul (an Asian) to several unsuspecting victims on several online social media applications in order to cheat them and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 57 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law of 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
Both defendants were said to have pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them by the EFCC.
Upon their pleas, the prosecution counsel, M.J. Argungu and defence counsel, S.A Yahaya and Achimugu John Achimugu urged the court to enter the plea bargain agreement between the parties as the judgement of the court.
The judge consequently convicted and sentenced Patrick to five years of Imprisonment with an option of a fine of N150,000.00. He was also asked to forfeit the Apple iPhone used as an instrument to perpetrate the crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria through EFCC.
Martins was convicted and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment or a fine of N150,000.00. He was equally ordered to forfeit an LG DVD Home Theatre, Lituan Generator, LG semi-automatic washing machine, MTN wireless local area network, Samsung Galaxy A22, and a 55-inch Samsung TV to the Federal Government of Nigeria through EFCC.
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