Operatives of the Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested four internet fraudsters in Calabar, Cross River State, following two seperate raids carried out in the early hours of Saturday, May 4, 2019 and Sunday, May 5, 2019.
The Saturday morning operation led to the arrest of a known “yahoo” kingpin, Akpojivi Joel Onoriode, a 29-year-old graduate of Delta State University, Abraka who is married with two kids.
Onoriode was arrested in his lavishly furnished duplex located at Plot 10, Block VI, Unical Satellite Town, Calabar, which he confessed was purchased with proceeds from his illicit “yahoo” business. He confessed that he had been in the “yahoo-yahoo” business for a long time and was known as “Blinks” or “Mr White”. He admitted that he has been in the “yahoo” business for a very long time and currently operates an offshore account in China.
He said: "I was really known in my school then as a yahoo boy. I have two kids. I didn't want to bring them up where people will say, ah! your father is a yahoo boy. That was why I relocated my family from Asaba to Calabar.
"When I came out now and saw you people and the bus outside, my mind just told me there was a problem."
While conducting a search on the premises, three luxury cars were recovered from him – ZDX Acura car, E 300 Mercedes Benz and a Range Rover SUV. The Range Rover could, however, not be moved out of the premises with other exhibits due to mechanical problems. Other items recovered include, two iPhones, one Nokia phone, and documents of landed properties owned by the suspect.
The morning raid on May 5, 2019 led to the arrest of Ifeanyi Chukwudi, Godwin Joseph and Iluobe Daniel. They were picked up at different locations within Calabar, following intelligence reports gathered by operatives of the Commission, as a result of the high rate of cybercrime in the town.
Chukwudi confessed that he specialized in love scam, admitting that he had “made a lot of money from the business (yahoo-yahoo)”.
He said: “I have defrauded women from the UK (United Kingdom). They usually pay me after we get engaged, and then, they will now want me to come over, that's when they send me money and that's how I get paid.”
Some of the items recovered from his apartment at Effiong Close, Satellite Town, Calabar include: one iPhone 8 Plus, one HP laptop containing fraudulent letters of false claims, and nine SIM cards.
Joseph and Daniel were arrested at Itagbor Agbeansa area of Calabar. A Toyota Camry LE, one HP laptop containing scam emails and several exotic phones were recovered from them.
They will soon be charged to court.
Similarly, Justice Fatun Riman of the Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, today, sentenced one Adegboye Joshua Oluyeyi to 29 years imprisonment for a N2 million cyber fraud.
Oluyeyi was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on Friday, May 3, 2019, on a nine-count charge bordering on cybercrime.
He was convicted for hacking into the email account of one Florence Kentiobong and diverting N2 million into his account by replacing the account information of the victim, with his personal account details, causing the said payment to be made into the account of the convict, instead of the account of the original benefactor.
He pleaded “guilty” to the charges and was convicted, accordingly.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Adegboye Joshua Oluyeyi, aka Joshua Adex sometime in February 2018 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did knowingly cause the loss of N2 million only property of Mike Simpson and meant for Florence Kentiobong by altering and inputting false data meant for the transfer of funds and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14 (2) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Section.”
While delivering judgement, Justice Riman sentenced Oluyeyi to three years in prison on count one to count eight, and five years on count nine, to run concurrently from the date of arrest being July 21, 2018.
The trial judge further ruled that: “I have considered that the accused person has no criminal record. I hereby sentence the accused as follows:
Count one: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N50,000.
“Count two: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N50,000. The accused shall pay N500,000 to the victim as restitution;
“Count three: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N20,000.
“Count four: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N20,000. The accused shall pay N500,000 to the victim as restitution; Count five: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N20,000.
“Count six: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N20,000. The accused shall pay the sum of N500,000 to the victim as restitution; Count seven: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N20,000.
“Count eight: three years imprisonment or pay a fine of N20,000. The accused shall pay N500,000 to the victim as restitution; Count nine: five years imprisonment or pay a fine of N100,000. The accused shall pay the sum of N2 million involved to the victim.”
The court further ordered that the convict be remanded in prison, pending when he pays the restituted sum to the victim, and either pays the cumulative fine of N320,000 (Three Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira) or serve the jail term.
In a related development, Justice Riman also convicted and sentenced one Ukana Iramofu to two years in prison with an option of a fine of N50,000, after he pleaded “guilty” to a one-count charge preferred against him by the EFCC for his involvement in a N464,500 fraud.
The charge against him reads: “That you, Ukana Iramofu (aka Philip Akande) on or about August 2018 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud did fraudulently send electronic message to Akaninyene Offiong Asuquo under the pretence that you have 2005 Lexus ES330 and an Apple Laptop computer for sale which he paid to you, the sum of N464,500 (Four Hundred and Sixty-four Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) only which pretence you knew to be false in order to gain advantage from same falsehood and thereby committed an offence contrary to provisions of Section 14 (2) of the CyberCrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under the same Act.”
In convicting him, Justice Riman further ordered Iramofu to pay the sum of N464,500 to the victim as restitution.
The convict was also remanded in prison, pending when he restitutes the said sum.
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