$53,000 Scam: Court Jails Graduate Two Years in Lagos, Another 56 Suspected Fraudsters Arrested in Kwara
Ikpaka Courage, a graduate of Philosophy, was arraigned on Tuesday 3, September by the Lagos Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a two-count charge bordering on cybercrimes and money laundering before Justice Dehinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos where he was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Count one reads: “That you, Ikpaka Courage, sometime in April, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, directly made a false statement, wherein you held yourself out as a Nigerian entertainer by name
“Chinedu Okoli a.k.a. Flavour N’abania” on your Telegram account, knowing the same to be false and with intent that the representation is relied upon for the purpose of procuring the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.”
Count two reads: “That you, Ikpaka Courage, sometime in April, 2021 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, indirectly retained the sum of $53,000 (Fifty-three Thousand USD) in your Access Bank Plc account number 0108866415, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: dishonest conversion of the said sum, property of Mrs Yvette M. Thompson and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under section 18( 3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act,2022.”
He pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, S.I Suleiman, presented a witness, Azibagiri Dan Ekpar, an operative of the EFCC, to review the facts of the case.
The defendant, Ekpar said, was arrested in Lagos on June 10, 2024.
He added: “Upon his arrest by operatives of the Lagos Directorate, he volunteered his statement.
“In his statement, he confessed to have been involved in a dating scam, and that he used his platform to impersonate Chinedu Okoli a.k.a. Flavour N’abania.
“He also confessed to having obtained the sum of $53,000( Fifty-three Thousand United States Dollar) from one Mrs. Yvette M. Thompson under the pretence that he would perform on her birthday in Washington DC in July 2021.
“The money was transferred through a Bitcoin wallet he created in order to receive the proceeds of crime.”
In his further review of the facts, Ekpar said: “He also admitted to have forged the Nigerian international passport data page of
Mr Chinedu Okoli a.k.a. Flavour N’abania and also created a fictitious email address, which he used to communicate with the victim.
“He had restituted the sum of N7, 900,000 (Seven Million, Nine Hundred Thousand Naira) by raising a managers’ Cheque.”
Suleiman, thereafter, applied to tender, in evidence, the defendant’s extra-judicial statement, and bank’s statement, printout of chats between him and the victim as well as the Bitcoin wallet statement from Binance.
Justice Dipeolu admitted them as exhibits.
Counsel to the convict, Bayo A. Phillip, prayed the court to “temper justice with mercy”, adding that “he is a first-time offender and he did not waste the time of the court.
“My Lord, he did not channel the proceeds of his offence into living lavishly; rather, he used it to further his education and is now a graduate of Philosophy.”
Consequently, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced the defendant to one year imprisonment on count one, with an option of fine of N1,000,000 ( One Million Naira).
He was also convicted and sentenced to one year imprisonment on count two, with an option of fine of N1,000,000( One Million Naira).
The Judge ordered that the money be forfeited to the petitioner and also remanded the convict in the EFCC custody pending the fulfillment of the order within 21 days.
Courage’s journey to the Correctional Centre began when he was arrested by operatives of the Lagos Directorate of the EFCC for internet fraud. He was charged to court and convicted.
Also, operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested fifty-six (56) persons suspected to be internet fraudsters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The arrests were carried out between Tuesday, September 3 – 4, 2024, at different locations within the town following credible intelligence on the activities of fraudsters throwing unsuspected citizens of the state into pain and tears through their fraudulent pranks. Items recovered from them include 18 different brands of exotic cars, laptops, expensive smartphones, and charms. The suspects according to Dele Oyewale, EFCC Head, Media & Publicity would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigations
Consequent upon the consistent flight against corruption, environmenta development Agenda (HEDA) and other foreign Civil society Organisations have applauded the Executive Chairman of the Commission, EFCC, Mr.Ola Olukoyede, for his consistence, focus and foresight in the fight against economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
The leader of the delegation and Chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, Olanrewaju Suraju expressed satisfaction with the doggedness of Olukoyede in tackling the menace of corruption, stating that his group was impressed with his “impressive management of the EFCC within a year”. According to Olanrewaju Suraju
“We are happy that you have not allowed the organisation to lose its focus and its essence, and we are here to give you the necessary support you need from civil societies along with our international partners,” he said.
Suraju, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, September 2, 2024, when he led a delegation of CSOs in Nigeria and overseas to the Commission’s headquarters, appreciated and acknowledged Olukoyede’s resolve in the discharge of his duties, especially the recovery of proceeds of crime which the government expended on the students’ loan scheme and consumer credit system. This development, he said, reinforced the United Nation Convention’s policy on the fight against Corruption that stipulated that recovered loot should be utilized directly for the benefits of victims.
Also speaking, co-founder of Corner House in the United Kingdom, Nicholas Hildyard ranked the EFCC as a respectable anti-graft agency across the world. “I am so delighted to be back in Nigeria and the EFCC. The last time I visited the EFCC was around 2010, and of all the anti-corruption agencies that I have interacted with around the world, the EFCC is the one I respected the most because its determination to fight corruption has always been absolutely inspiring, and I am using this medium to thank the Chairman and his team for achieving this feat,” he said.
In other remarks, the Director of Recommon, an Italian civil society organisation, Antonio Tricarico and Simon Taylor, Co-founder of Global Witness also in the United Kingdom, applauded the good and quality management and leadership of Olukoyede and promised their organizations’ unalloyed support for the EFCC.
Responding, Olukoyede appreciated the CSOs for their visit and assured them of his undiluted focus and resoluteness in discharging the mandate of the Commission, especially in doing the right things, despite the daunting task of fighting corruption in Nigeria.
Furthermore, he assured the group that the problems in the extractive industry would always attract the attention and commitment of the EFCC, Olukoyede stressed that all stakeholders in the anti-corruption fight would be carried along to make Nigeria a better country.
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