In front of Justices A.N. Erhabor and W.I. Aziegbemhin of the Edo State High Courts, agents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Benin Zonal Directorate successfully convicted and sentenced 17 suspected online scammers.
The offenders were charged separately with fraud, possession of fake documents, and retention of illicit proceeds during a sitting in Benin City. After information revealed the convicts’ fraudulent operations, the operatives mounted a sting operation to capture them and prosecute them.
According to the EFCC, they are: “Ekene Ezerioha, Ayeleso Ayodeji Richard, Prince Unity Igbinekaro, Marvelous Adebor, Osayande Oseh, Chukwuebuka James Edozie, Clinton Osayi Okojie, Chinedu Ugwu Kingsley, Emmanuel Ezeala, Isioma Christopher, Adebayo Ayomide, Ubaro Best, Junior Oboh, Chieye Goodluck, Lucky James Isioma, Jeremiah Okwuezuru Nwadiashi, and Destiny Grace.”
During the sitting, different charges were read against them. For Ekene Ezerioha, “That you Ekene Ezerioha (m) on or about the 14th of March, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did have in your possession documents which you knew or ought to have known contained false pretence, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 6 and 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Prosecution attorneys F.A. Jirbo, K.Y. Bello, Isa K. Agwai, Faisal Ibrahim, Al-Amin Ibrahim Abdul, Bala-Ribah, and Salihu Ahmed urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants after they all entered guilty pleas to the allegations, according to a report on X, formerly Twitter.
Defense lawyers, meanwhile, begged for leniency, claiming that the offenders had regret for what they had done. Igbinekaro, Adebor, Oseh, Edozie, Okojie, Christopher, Best, Nwadiashi, and Grace were all given two years in prison or a N200,000 fine by Justice Erhabor.
In addition to the N200,000 fine, Richard, Kingsley, Ezeala, Goodluck, and Isioma were each given a three-year term. However, Oboh, Ayomide, and Ezerioha were each given two years in prison or an N400,000 fine by Justice W.I. Aziegbemhin.
They all agreed to be well-behaved after serving their sentences and were forced to turn over their phones and other belongings to the federal government.
