Internet fraud: 12 students bag two-year imprisonment in Enugu

A Federal High Court sitting in Enugu has sentenced 12 students to two years imprisonment each, for crimes relating to internet fraud and impersonation.

This was disclosed in a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday, revealing that the Enugu zone of the Commission secured the conviction of the 12 students.

The court which sat before Justice I.M Buba on Tuesday convicted the students on charges bordering on “forgery, impersonation and obtaining money from unsuspecting foreign nationals under false pretenses.”

The convicts include Mbanugo Ifeanyi, Izuchukwu Chukwuemeka, Okechukwu Ifeanyichukwu, Nwabueze Ifeanyi, Egbo Chijioke, Ekene Oputa,Iloegbunam Justine, Edeh Chukwuebuka, Edeh Izuchukwu, Iloegbunam Paschal, Ogu Chukwuebuka, and Edeh Emmanuel.

According to the statement, they all pleaded to a separate one-count charge, based on their prosecution.

The charge preferred against one of the defendants reads, “that you Mbanugo Ifeanyi on or about the 10th Day of March 2021 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently impersonated on Ornale Sylvestermanda and Venita, through a fake Telegram account, with intent to obtain money from unsuspecting foreign nationals and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22(3) (a)(b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, etc Act,2015 and punishable under section 22 (4) of the same Act”.

“Justice Buba convicted and sentenced them to two years imprisonment with an option of one million naira fine each,” the statement revealed.

Source: PUNCH