Twenty-nine individuals arrested for internet fraud have been convicted and sentenced to various jail terms in Benin City, Edo State, after they pleaded guilty to charges brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The suspects appeared before Justices A.N. Erhabor and W. I. Aziegbemhin of the Edo State High Courts in separate trials, each facing a single charge related to obtaining by false pretenses, advance fee fraud, retention of proceeds of crime, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The convicted individuals include: Edeyibo Rukewe Hope, Igbafe David, Emakhu Bonfrey, Genesis Ndujifor, Okolosie Godstime, Chukwu David, Ebuka Emmanuel, Akhere Akahomhen, Odiniru Emeka Vet, Obiora Mike Kelvin, Stephen Eghosa, Osagioduwa Samuel Aivihenyor, Lucky Ekhator, Ekechukwu Chima Stanley, Lucky Moses, David Odiniru, Christopher Alex, Orovirie Sunny, Abraham Ifeanyi, Aisosa Vincent, Agbede Shola Harrison, Endurance Ebalukpe, Igbiniken Osarvmwense, Okonoboh Senator Odiegie, Joseph Imhangbegbe, Orion Aigbona, Godstime Adebor, Ambrose Otsemeuno, and Mattew Obayuywana.
One of the charges against Hope states: "That you, Edeyibo Rukewe Hope, on or about February 27, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, had in your possession documents that you knew or ought to have known contained false pretenses, thereby committing an offence under Section 6 and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2006, punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act."
All defendants pleaded guilty when their charges were read out. The prosecution team, including F.A. Jirbo, K.Y. Bello, Isa K. Agwai, Faisal Ibrahim, Al-Amin Ibrahim Abdul, Bala-Ribah, and Salihu Ahmed, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly. In turn, the defense counsel requested leniency, emphasizing the defendants' remorse for their actions.
Justice Erhabor sentenced Hope, David, Bonfrey, Ndujifor, Emmanuel, Akahomhen, Sunny, Ifeanyi, Vincent, Otsemeuno, Ebalukpe, Harrison, Osarvmwense, Odiegie, Imhangbegbe, Aigbona, Adebor, and Obayuywana to two years in prison or a fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each.
Justice Aziegbemhin sentenced Godstime to two years in prison or a fine of N200,000, while Kelvin, Eghosa, Aivihenyor, Ekhator, Stanley, Moses, Osarvmwense, Vet, and Alex were sentenced to two years in prison each or a fine of N400,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira).
The court also ordered the forfeiture of a red Mercedes Benz C300 (Registration number: BEN258CM), recovered from Odiniru Emeka Vet, to the Federal Government as proceeds of crime.
In addition to their prison terms or fines, all convicts forfeited the items seized from them, including phones, computers, money, and vehicles, to the Federal Government. They also signed an agreement to be of good behavior going forward.
The convicts' path to the correctional facility began with their arrest in a sting operation by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, based on credible intelligence linking them to fraudulent internet activities.
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