Court jails seven yahoo boys, school principal and convicts company for fraud

The Uyo Zonal Office of EFCC on Tuesday March 26, 2019, secured the conviction of seven internet fraudsters, popularly called 'Yahoo yahoo boys' before Justice S. A. Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

The convicts namely: Unamba Maxmillian Chukwubueze; Kingsley Isaacs, Ikenna Madagascar, Obioha Ikenna, David Okpere, Kanu Uchechukwu and Clement Okeke, all indigenes of Imo state with the exception of Okeke who hails from Enugu state were arrested on Friday, February 8, 2019, following intelligence reports, which led to a raid on their apartment on N15a Old Ring Road, off Atiku Abubakar Road, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, which also doubles as their office.

Justice Amobeda convicted the internet fraudsters after they pleaded guilty to the one count charge preferred against them by the EFCC and subsequently sentenced them to six months imprisonment each with an option of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine each.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the computers, laptops and all other instruments they used in committing fraud to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The convicts had earlier entered into a plea bargain agreement with the Commission in its Uyo Zonal Office.

In a related development, Justice Okon A. Okon of the State High Court 7, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Monday, March 25, 2019, convicted and sentenced a company, CMD Remediation Nigeria Limited, owned by one Mr. Chikelue Ezechukwu for issuance of dud cheque to the tune of N16, 000,000 (Sixteen Million Naira). A two count-count charge was preferred against the company.

The conviction was also based on a plea bargain agreement. The sentence against the company was a fine of N30, 000 (Thirty Thousand Naira only) on count one, and N20, 000 (Twenty Thousand Naira only) on count two, and a full restitution of the said sum to the complainant.

"In line with the plea agreement, the accused has been convicted having restituted the nominal complainant the entire sum being N16, 000,000" Justice Okon stated. Also, Justice Joy I. Uwana of Akwa-Ibom State High Court One, sitting in Ikot Ekpene has convicted the principal of Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, Mr. Festus Enyima Dappa on a two-count charge levelled against him by the EFCC.

The Commission had dragged Dappa to court on March 7, 2019 for illegally diverting into his personal account, funds meant for construction work in the school and for production of students' year book, amounting to N4. 460million and N2.619million respectively into his personal account. Dappa was sentenced to one year imprisonment each on the two-count charge without an option of fine.