Fake U.S. soldier bags 30-day jail term

For posing as Major Barneth of the U.S. Army, Enabuele Osazee Frank has been sentenced to 30 days in prison with option of N25,000 fine by Justice Danlami Senchi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Jabi.

Enabulele was among six suspected internet fraudsters, popularly called ‘Yahoo boys’ arrested in Abuja by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on May 11, 2018 through a sting operation following an intelligence report on their nefarious activities. He was arraigned on April 3, 2019 on an amended one-count charge bordering on attempt to cheat.

The count reads: “That you, Enabulele Osazee Frank, sometime in 2018 in Abuja did attempt to commit cheating and posed to be United State Major Barnett Edward, an American soldier deployed to Afghanistan on peace keeping mission in a bid to fraudulently induce one Camela Johnson to deliver the sum of $10,000 on a representation that the money is payment for cost of non-inspection of certificate, a claim which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code Law Cap 532 laws of the Federation (1990) Abuja.”

He pleaded guilt” to the amended charge, based on a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC. Prosecuting counsel, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, then prayed the court to sentence him accordingly.Defence counsel, Providence Osimen, however pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that the defendant was still a young man of 29 years old, and has shown remorse. “He has never been convicted, and is a graduate of public administration from the University of Abuja. His parents look up to him for their wellbeing and he was just in the wrong place with the wrong company at the wrong time,” he said.

In sentencing Enabulele, Justice Senchi considered the plea bargain agreement, as well as the plea of his counsel, and gave him a fine of N25,000, failure of which he is to spend 30 days in prison.