Sokoto Court Sentence 6 Yahoo Boys to Intense Prison

The Sokoto State High Court Judge, Justice M. S. Sifawa has convicted and sentenced six internet fraudsters, popularly referred to as yahoo boys, to prison for fraud.

Henry Chukwuma Uche (a.k.a Andrew Tucker James), Okereke Ifeayi Daniel, Iyiola Elvis Azuka, Onyeiwu Stanley Chibuike (a.k.a Jonathan Stavidris), Nwanaforo Daniel, Iyiola Elvis Azuka, Onyeiwu Stanley Chibuike (a.k.a Jonathan Stavidris), Nwanaforo Wilfred Chukwuka (a.k.a Manfred) and Nwanaforo Chibuike Shedrack, are the fraudsters, yahoo-boys, who were tried on a one-count separate charge of conspiracy and cheating by the Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

One of the charges reads: “That you Henry Chukwuma Uche (a.k.a Andrew Tucker James), a Nigerian national, sometime between 2018 to 2020 at Sokoto, within the jurisdiction of the Sokoto State High Court, dishonestly represented yourself to one Carle Margarida Brito Santos, a foreign national, resident in Portugal, to be one Andrew Tucker James of the United State of America Marines, deployed to Afghanistan and in that, induced her in love scam to pay you the sum of €3,934 through your Access Bank Dollar account and the sum of $17,691.25 through your Polaris Bank Dollar account and thereby committed the offence of cheating, contrary to Section 310 of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law 2019 and punishable under Section 311 of the same Law.”

All of them involved in the cyber crime locally called yahoo yahoo, pleaded guilty to the charges, which were pursued by the prosecution team consisting of S. H. Sa’ad, Musa Mela Gwani and Habila Jonathan asked the court to convict and punish them accordingly, while Shamsu A. Dauda, defense counsel, pleaded with the court to influence justice with compassion as his clients became remorseful.

Uche (Andrew Tucker James) was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison by Justice Sifawa with a fine option of N1,000,000 (One Million Naira). He is also to refund the amount of EUR 3,934 and $17,691.25 through the EFCC and the FBI liaison at the Consulate of the USA, Lagos, to his victim.

Following his conviction on count one and two with N100,000 option of fine for each of the counts, Daniel was also sentenced with an additional five years and six months in prison. He is also to restore EUR 300 proceeds of his crime to his victim.

Azuka bagged N1,000,000 alternative fine for 10 years and €1,545 proceeds of his crime to restore to his victim.

Chibuike (a.k.a Jonathan Stavidris) and Chukwuka (a.k.a Manfred) were each imprisoned for 10 years with an option of N1,000,000.00 each. In addition, each of them will, through the EFCC, refund the amount of EUR 5,000 or its Naira equivalent to its victims.

Finally, Shedrack and his brother, Chukwuka (a.k.a Manfred), were each sentenced to six months in prison, with a fine of N100,000. It should be noted that Chukwuka had been bagged 10 years earlier.