COURT JAILS 2 INTERNET FRAUDSTERS IN PORT HARCOURT

Two young men, identified as GLORY OKWOR EBUBE and HARRISON UZORCHUKWU EMMANUEL, has bagged jail sentences for their involvement in internet fraud in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Justice P. I. AJOKU of the Federal High Court sitting in the Rivers State capital, gave the judgment following the successful prosecution of the defendants by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the EFCC had slammed separate charges, bordering on impersonation, advance fee fraud and obtaining money under false pretence against the defendants. The charge against Ebube reads: “That you, Okwor Glory Ebube sometime in February, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of $2000 (Two Thousand United States Dollars) from your victims, through your Telegram account with the identity of Kim Kardashian as a popular influencer and celebrity from the United States of America which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.” That of Emmanuel reads: “That you Harrison Emmanuel Uzorchukwu, sometime in March, 2025 at Port Harcourt Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of One Thousand ($1000) United States Dollars from one Deborah Teaque under the pretence that the sum was for investment in bitcoin which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (c) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.” EFCC’s spokesman, DELE OYEWALE, disclosed in a statement that both defendants pleaded “guilty” when the charges were read to them, following which prosecution counsel, N. A. DODO and M. ABUBAKAR tendered incriminating documents in evidence against them and asked the court to convict and sentence them in line with their pleas. However, the defence counsel, G. M. CHUKWU and Dozie MUNAKWE prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that their clients were first time offenders. In his ruling, Justice AJOKU convicted and sentenced the defendants to thirty months imprisonment each, with an option of Two Hundred Thousand Naira fine respectively. The Court also ordered the forfeiture of a Toyota Corolla Camry car, an iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 16, which were recovered from the convicts, to the federal government. They were also made to depose to an affidavit of good behaviour before the court.