Court jails Kaduna ‘Yahoo Boy’ six years for money laundering

Glory Ebomah

The Kaduna State Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction of one Okoye Bethel Makuochukwu before Justice R.M Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna on one count charge of money laundering.

Bethel, an undergraduate, was arrested in Zaria, Kaduna State by security personnel and handed over to the commission for further investigation.

The investigation revealed that he assumed the identity of a foreigner, Violet Martinez and, in such character, defrauded unsuspecting victims by luring them into fake social relationships using mostly the social media app, Telegraph.

The charge reads: “That you, Okoye Bethel Makuochukwu “m” sometime in January, 2023 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court retained a Mercedes Benz GLK 350 2013 model with chassis number, WDCGG8JB9DF999305 which you reasonably ought to have known that it formed part of the proceeds of a lawful act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge. In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, K.S Ogunlade urged the court to convict the defendant.

Justice Aikawa convicted and sentenced him to a fine of N 1,000,000 or serve 6 years imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.

He was also ordered to forfeit the Mercedes Benz GLK 350 2013 model car to the Federal Government of Nigeria.