Justice O. A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, found ten people guilty of one-count charges that were close to internet theft.
Ikyegh Senenge Bobo, Anum Cyprian Sesugh, Boniface Udoo Aondofa, Utor Stanley Torkuma, Obande Emmanuel, James Ekere, Tony Ochekwu Moda, Ochaje James, Shadrach Ugbu Aondona, and Odumu Michael are the people who were charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Makurdi Zonal Command.
The prisoners were arrested in different parts of Makurdi on suspicion that they were involved in hacking. The investigation showed that they used different names to trick people into fake friendships so that they could steal money from them.
Some of the charges read: “That you, Ikyegh Senenge Bobo “M,” sometime between December, 2022, and May, 2023, in Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, sent an electronic message to one Daniella Alias Nagako, a female Japanese citizen living in the United States of America, via an online app where you disguised yourself as a male citizen of Texas, United States of America, with the name Nakamora by getting Apple iTunes
“That you, Obande Emmanuel “M” (22 years old), between March and April 2022 in Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, fraudulently got $1000 USD from foreigners who didn’t know you were a fortune teller. You did this by using the Instagram account “taratwithdephina,” where you said you were a fortune teller who could give them advice and read their palms to help them succeed in life. This is a crime.
“That you, Abah James Ekere “M” (33 years), on or about June 22, 2021, in Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with the intent to defraud, sent electronic messages to Access Bank Plc and GT Bank that materially misrepresented the fact that a transaction of N1,500,000.00 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira) and N400,000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira) failed from your Access Bank account No.
“That you, Shadrach Ugbu Aondona, on or about February 20, 2022, in Makurdi, Benue State, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with the intent to defraud, used the identity of one Caitlyn Anderson, an American social media model, and created a Gmail account, caitlynaanderson2012@gmail.com, linked with your Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts, and sent fake messages to foreigners who didn’t know what was going on.
All of them pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
Justice Egwuatu found Senenge guilty and sentenced him to a year in jail or a fine of N500,000.00. He was told to give the Federal Government of Nigeria an iPhone 13 Pro, a Pontiac Vibe from 2009, and two pieces of land along Gboko Road, Phase 1, Makurdi.
Cyprian got a sentence of one year in jail or a fine of N500,000.00. He also has to give the government of Nigeria an iPhone 11 Pro Max.