Court jails five for Internet fraud in Kaduna

Justices R.M. Aikawa and A. Isiaka have convicted and sentenced five internet fraudsters to prison in Kaduna.

Justice Aikawa of the Federal High Court Kaduna sentenced and convicted the trio of Molwat Terah Sati, Zumshak Paul Wankof and Chidi Tochukwu Emmanuel, while Abraham Daniel (a.k.a Eric Wallace) and Amos Wisdom (a.k.a Laura Lute) were convicted by Justice Isiaka of the Kaduna State High Court.

Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said on Thursday, 27 June 2024 that all the convicts were prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on one-count separate charges, bordering on internet crimes on Wednesday, 26 June 2024.

Sati’s charge read: “That you Molwat Terah Sati (a.k.a Helena Bialas) sometime in April 2024 at Bankers Apartment, Reyfield, Jos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated one Helena Bialas on Facebook (an online social media platform) to unsuspecting members of the public with the intent to gain advantage for yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015.”

That of Wisdom read: “That you Wisdom (a.k.a. Laura Lute) sometimes between April and May 2023 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did commit an offence to wit: cheating by impersonation when you falsely represented yourself as Laura Lute (a pornstar) on Facebook (an online social media platform) and in such assumed identity induced unsuspecting victims in the public to send to you the total sum of N3,155,340.00 (Three Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand Three Hundred and Forty Naira ) only, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”

They all pleaded “guilty” to their respective charges, prompting prosecution counsel M.J Argungu and M. Lawal to urge the courts to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justices Aikawa convicted and sentenced Emmanuel to seven years imprisonment or a fine of N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira). He handed Wankof three years imprisonment or a fine of N450,000.00, (Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira). He also forfeited $200 (Two Hundred United States Dollars) to the Federal Government, while Sati got three years imprisonment or a fine of N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira).

Similarly, Justice Isiaka convicted and sentenced Daniel to three years imprisonment or a fine of N150,000.00, (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and sentenced Wisdom to five years imprisonment or a fine of N 300,000.00 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira).

Additionally, Wisdom is to restitute the sum of N2,300,000 (Two Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira) to the victim.

All the convicts forfeited their phones, being the tools of their crimes to the federal government.

The road to jail began for Sati, Wankof and Emmanuel when they were arrested in Jos, Plateau State, while that of Daniel and Wisdom began after they were picked up in Kaduna metropolis, following credible intelligence on their fraudulent internet activities.