The Economic and Financial Crime Commission arraigned 10 people found guilty of internet-related offenses and given varying jail sentences and penalties.
The EFCC revealed this on Friday in a statement and images posted on X.com.
The anti-graft office said in the statement that the suspects entered guilty pleas to the allegations and received varying jail sentences for crimes including job fraud, impersonation, and computer fraud.
Emmanuel Cyriacus, Nelson Yustus, Gabriel Victor Shindu, Daniel Gambo, Miracle Bukar, Mighty Awarri, Jonathan James, Mathias Adams, Sani Safiyanu, and Muazu Shira Mutari were identified as the prisoners.
The statement partly read, “Shindu, Awarri, Gambo, Bukar, Adams, Yustus, Cyriacus, and James were arraigned on October 16, 2024, before Justices Hammed Isha and Benjamin M. Lawal of the Gombe State High Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa State.
“Safiyanu was arraigned on October 14, 2024, on two counts charges of intent to defraud and possession of fraudulent document before Justice Mushkur Salisu of the Federal High Court Jalingo, Taraba State, while Muazu Shira Mutari was arraigned for intent to defraud on October 8, 2024, before Justice Muazu Abubakar of the Bauchi State High Court, Bauchi.”
According to the statement, one of the allegations read in court said that Nelson Yustus scammed a foreign individual of $150 sometime in September 2024 by chatting on the Zangi private message app on his iPhone 11 while posing as Jake, a US citizen from Philadelphia.
The statement also disclosed that the convictions were subject to a fine after the defendants’ attorneys begged the court to balance justice with mercy because their clients were sorry for what they had done.
It added, “Justice Isha convicted and sentenced Shindu, Awari, Bukar, and Gambo to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of N300,000 each.
