Two handed one-year jail term for cybercrime in Makurdi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has nabbed two men, Adegunwa Oluwaseyi Ayuba and Moses Hamidu who will each serve a year jail term for cybercrime in Makurdi, the capital of Benue state.

Taking to its official Twitter handle on Monday, the EFCC announced that the Makurdi Zonal Command of the commission has secured the conviction and sentencing of the duo of Ayuba and Hamidu.

According to the EFCC, both men have been convicted and sentenced on separate one-count charges before Justice N.I. Afolabi of the Federal High Court, sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

The convicts were arrested by the Makurdi Zonal Command of Nigeria’s leading anti-graft agency sometime in 2021 for cyber-fraud-related activities in Makurdi, Benue State.

“That you, Adegunwa Oluwaseyi Ayuba, sometime in June 2021, in Makurdi, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court knowingly had in your possession the sum of N1,500,000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in your Access Bank Account number 0697192323 which you knew indirectly represents Mr. Fanen Anun Cosmas’ proceeds of a criminal conduct.

“You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under the same section of the Act,” the charge against Ayuba reads.

“That you, Moses Hamidu sometime on or about 28 January 2023, at Lafia in Nasarawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did send a fictitious message on your email and Google accounts to Foreign Nationals pretending to be Lydia Martin in order to obtain financial benefit for yourself.

“That is a fact which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(3) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, and punishable under the same Section,” the charge against Hamidu reads.

The two men thereafter pleaded guilty to the charges preferred against them by the Commission.

Consequently, Justice Afolabi convicted and sentenced Ayuba to one year imprisonment and ordered him to restitute the sum of N1,500,000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) being the proceeds of the crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The convict is to further forfeit his iPhone 12 Pro Max, which was the instrument used in perpetrating the crime, and an Acura Car with registration number Lagos FST 667GK to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

He will, in addition, pay a fine of N500,000 only to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Similarly, Justice Afolabi convicted and sentenced Hamidu to one year imprisonment or a fine of N100,000.00.