Benin City Court Sentences Four Internet Fraudsters to Jail

In a recent ruling on Friday, July 14, Justice M. Itsueli of the Edo State High Court in Benin City convicted and sentenced two individuals involved in internet fraud. The offenders, namely Wisdom Osazuwa, an 18-year-old self-proclaimed tailor, and Oyegun Osadebamwen Godwin, a student, were separately arraigned by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges related to the unlawful possession of fraudulent documents.

During their arraignment, both Osazuwa and Godwin pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against them. Consequently, the prosecution counsel, Salihu Ahmed, requested the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Responding to the plea, Justice Itsueli pronounced the conviction and sentenced both Osazuwa and Godwin to three years of imprisonment. Alternatively, they were given the option to pay a fine of N200,000 each.

The imprisonment of the convicted individuals stemmed from their arrest, which was based on actionable intelligence implicating them in internet fraud. In his confession, Godwin admitted to engaging in cryptocurrency fraud since 2022 and assuming the identities of various individuals online, including Darcy.

In a similar incident that occurred on Wednesday, July 12, Louis Osadolor, a 24-year-old internet fraudster, was also convicted and sentenced to five years in prison by Justice C. A. Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Benin. The charges against Osadolor revolved around fraudulent impersonation, as he assumed the identity of Jucastrotrradefit, a Brazilian woman and Bitcoin trader, with the intent to defraud unsuspecting victims.

The charge filed against Osadolor stated that he fraudulently impersonated Jucastrotrraderfit by sending forged documents via the Internet to an individual named Eliane Cruz, claiming that they originated from the aforementioned identity. His actions aimed to deceive unsuspecting victims and obtain money from them. The offence committed by Osadolor contravenes section 22(2) (b)(ii) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention, etc) Act 2015, which is punishable under section 22(2)(b)(IV) of the same Act.

These recent convictions highlight the efforts made by the judiciary and law enforcement agencies in Benin City to combat internet fraud and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.