Kaduna courts jail four Internet fraudsters

The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has secured the conviction and sentence of four internet fraudsters before Justices A. A Bello and A.A. Isiaka of the state high courts and R.M. Aikawa of the federal high court in the state.

The convicts are, Stephen Destiny Osaro, Yakubu Suleiman, Salisu Abubakar and Mohammed Alamin Isah.

While the duo of Osaro and Suleiman were prosecuted on a one-count separate charge of impersonation and were convicted and sentenced by Justice Bello, the others, Abubakar and Isah were prosecuted on separate one-count charges of cheating and impersonation, respectively and were convicted and sentenced by Justices Isiaka and R.M Aikawa.

The charge against Osaro read: “That you Stephen Destiny Osaro (a.k.a Layla Evans), male, sometime in March 2024, at Applegate Hotel, Karji, Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, fraudulently impersonated one Layla Evans (a white woman)on Facebook, and in such assumed character cheated one Coopland (an Australian citizen) of the sum of $100 (one hundred USD)and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 and punishable under Section 309 of the Kaduna State Penal Code law,2017.”

That of Salisu read:  “That you Salisu Abubakar (a.k.a Latrina Brown Jones) (M), between January and March 2024, at Kaduna with the jurisdiction of this honourable court, cheated one Scot Williamson of the total sum of N100,000.00(One hundred thousand naira) only when you pretended to be Latrina Brown Jones; a white woman living in Garden City, Michigan, USA via Facebook (an online social media application), which you knew to be false 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.”

They all pleaded “guilty” to their charges, prompting prosecution counsel M.E Eimonye in Osaro and Suleman’s case and M.J Argungu in both Abubakar and Isa’s case to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Osaro and Suleman were sentenced to five years imprisonment by Justice Bello or pay a fine of N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) and N350,000.00 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) respectively. In addition, both forfeited their phones to the federal government.

Similarly, Abubakar bagged five years imprisonment from Justice Isiaka or to pay a fine of N350,000.00 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand). Besides restituting the victim of his lost sum, he forfeited his iPhone 11 Pro to the federal government.

On his part, Isah got two years imprisonment from Justice Aikawa or to pay a fine of N150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira). Additionally, he restituted the victim of his lost sum and forfeited his iPhone 13 to the federal government.