Court convicts man over $26,520 internet fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Enugu Zonal Office on Monday, secured the conviction of Nwakanma Charles Chukwudi before Justice I.N. Buba of the Federal High Court, sitting in Enugu State, on one-count charge bordering on internet fraud to the tune of $26,520.
 
The convict who had defrauded a Canadian woman, named Donnalynn of the said sum, pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him by the anti-graft agency. Investigation into the allegation revealed that he had been perpetrating high-level internet fraud while living a flamboyant lifestyle that is not in tandem with his means of livelihood.

Upon his arrest, 29 contacts on his Yahoo mail were found to be used for committing the fraud. Investigation further uncovered how the convict impersonated a British national named Barry Bernard, who lived and worked in Manchester, United Kingdom.
 
Justice Buba after reviewing the charge against the convict, found him guilty as charged, convicted and sentenced him to one month imprisonment starting from April 8, 2019, which is the date of his arrest.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State task force said 15 traders have been arrested and waiting to be prosecuted over illegal street trading in Lagos. The traders were arrested during an enforcement operation that dislodged over 1,500 trespassers in Oyinbo yesterday.

Chairman of the task force, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, who led the enforcement team in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), said the illegal traders persisted, despite several warnings, in displaying and selling wares on main roads, medians, road-setbacks, drainage alignments and railway tracks around the entire Oyingbo market area.

According to the press statement by Adebayo Taofiq, head of Public Affairs Unit, the chairman said Section (1) of the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law of 2003 prohibits both buyers and sellers from engaging in business activities at an unauthorised place, while the penalty for engaging in illegal street-trading is a fine of N90,000 or six-month jail term for anyone found guilty of contravening the law.