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Financial crimes: Court Jails 41 YAHOO Boys In Anambra (SEE LIST)
A Federal High Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State, and presided over by Justices S. M Shuaibu and Hauwa Inuwa has convicted and sentenced Forty-one (41) internet fraudsters to one-year imprisonment, each.
The convicts were jailed after they pleaded guilty to one-count separate charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence, possession of fraudulent documents, personation and aiding in committing an offence upon arraignment by the Enugu Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The convicts are; Douglas James, Raphael Chikezie Uwakwe, Paul Chidera Kalu, Chisom Linus, Chiemezie Nweke, Eze Ugochukwu Stanley, Ndubuisi Nwafor, Ifeanyi Samuel, Nwosu Chukwuemeka, Madueke Emmanuel, Edozie Daniel Timothy, Ahmed Fredrick Lukman, Godwin Chukwuemelie Julius, Okafor Vincent Chiemerie, Ugochukwu Raphael Ena, Chukwuemeka Franklin Obiji, Chimaobi Emmanuel Gabriel, Abonyi Chibuike Jude, Chiemelie Igboekwuna Christian and Okafor Chukwuma Desmaond.
Others include; Jezreel Arihiakamah Chinwendu, Paul Okereke Chiadi, Peter Chidera Iwu, Onyeji Victor Chinecherem, Tochukwu Eze Solomon, Fred Chidera Okoye, Ezema Chiemerie Stanley, Emeka Ogbonna Daniel, Obinna Stanley Okafor, Udochukwu Peter Nnaewezie, Ebuka Johnson Olu, Okochi Ebuka Stanley, Promise Ogbodo Echezona, Ebuka Chukwu Joshua, Chisom Henry Udeagwueze, Ihechi Okechukwu Bright, Chibueze Maxwell Stephen, Ebuka Lucky Nwankwo, Isah Chinonso Peter, Ifeanyi Oguoke Kingsley and Chinonso Eze Innocent
One of the separate charges reads: “That you, Uwakwe Chikezie Raphael sometime in 2024 in Onitsha, Anambra State within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Nigeria, fraudulently impersonated the identity of Everly Ruby, a female foreigner through a Google account, via your iphone X with intent to obtain money from unsuspecting foreign nationals and in order to gain advantage of yourself and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (3) (a) (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 22 (4) of the same Act”.
All the 41 defendants pleaded “guilty” when their charges were read to them separately, and in view of their pleas, Michael Ikechukwu Ani, counsel to the EFCC prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
However, defence counsel, Wisdom Ogbonna, Bernard Okeke, James Nwatarali and Arinze Anyigo pleaded the court for leniency and to temper justice with mercy in sentencing their clients adding that they have shown enough remorse for their actions.
Justice Inuwa, on Thursday, May 2 2024, convicted and sentenced 27 of the convicts while the rest 14 were convicted on Friday, May 3, 2024. Those convicted on May 3 are: Chiadi, Samuel, Chinecherem, Timothy, Stanley, Bright, Iwu, Lukman, Nweke, Chukwuemeka, Okafor, Stephen, Chiemerie and Christian to one-year imprisonment each with an option of fine of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira).
The Justices also ordered that the convicts should be involved in Community Service in line with Section 462 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and ordered that items recovered from them, which include their mobile phones and laptops be auctioned through the EFCC and proceeds paid into the Treasury Single Account.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested for their involvement in internet fraud. They were charged to court and convicted.
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NDLEA intercepts N14.9bn opioids, arrests octogenarian, community leader’s wives, son +Photos
. . As Iran-bound drug mule excretes 76 wraps of cocaine at Kano airport
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a total of Twenty-Five Million (25,000,000.00) pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol and Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand (350,000) bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Tincan port complex in Lagos.
The seizures were made on Tuesday 17th and Friday 20th September 2024 from three containers which had been on the watchlist of the Agency following processed intelligence. As a result, the NDLEA had requested for 100% joint examination of the shipments with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. The 25 million pills of tapentadol have an estimated street value of Thirteen Billion Seven Hundred and Twenty-Five Million Naira (N13,725,000,000.00) while the codeine consignment has an estimated street value of Two Billion Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N2,450,000,000.00), bringing the total value of the seizures to Fourteen Billion Nine Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N14,950,000,000.00).
The tapentadol consignment packed in 500 cartons was discovered in one of the containers on Tuesday 17th September while another container examined same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine packed in 875 cartons. The third container containing 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine was examined on Friday 20th September.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Lagos State Strategic Command of the Agency on Friday 20th September arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi with 14 kilograms of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja area of the state. In his statement, the Octogenarian claimed he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years. He further claimed he gets his supplies from Benin republic, and sells to his customers from his residence between 7am and 10pm every day.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Wednesday 18th September raided the two homes of a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, where a total of 226kg of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son. Though Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 57.6kg from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35, and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22, while another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6kg from his second wife Hauwa Bashir, 42.
No less than 720 blocks of Arizona, a strain of cannabis weighing 390kg were also recovered from a Mitsubishi delivery van marked MUS 720 XH at Ojo area of Lagos on Monday 16th September.
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 15th September arrested a 38-year-old drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach. After three days in excretion observation, Okafor excreted the 76 pellets of the ingested cocaine weighing 1.267kg.
In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday 17th September recovered 700,000 pills of exol-5 coming from Lagos for distribution in Kano and Kaduna, while a suspect Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, was arrested by operatives on Friday 20th September along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger state, in possession of 49,000 tablets of tramadol, 20,000 tablets of diazepam, 100 ampoules of tramadol injection and 50 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.
A total of 451 blocks of cannabis weighing 213kg were intercepted along Azikiwe road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Wednesday 18th September, by NDLEA officers who apprehended a suspect Ogochukwu Paul, 33, conveying the consignment to a notorious drug haven in Borikiri.
While operatives in Plateau state on Friday 20th September arrested a wanted suspect Jonathan Ali Abuttur, 46, at Agingi- Rukuba road Bassa LGA in possession of 808kg of cannabis sativa concealed in 68 bags of sugar and fertilizer, their counterparts in Kwara also nabbed Shaibu Musa with 28kg of the same psychoactive substance.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Rayhaan Model Academy, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state; Government Day Secondary School, Danrimi, Malumfashi LGA,Katsina state; Technical College, Ihe-Achi, Oji River LGA, Enugu state; Corpus Christi College, Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti state; fresh students of Oyo State College of Health Science and Technology, Eleyele Ibadan, Oyo state; traders at Agboju market, Festac town, Lagos and the palace of Oloola of Ilara, Oba Mutiu Adedimeji Lawal Oyede and his chiefs, at Ilara, Ogun state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Tincan, MAKIA, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Kogi, Edo and Kwara Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
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Wasted bandit kingpin, Halilu Sububu reportedly died with Gov Lawal’s treasures
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Security analyst Col. Anthony Wonah (Rtd), has shed more light on the reasons why Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, embarked on media campaign against the Federal Government and his predecessor, the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
“In my opinion, one among the reasons why Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal is attacking Matawalle is because of the neutralization of some bandits kingpins terrorising the northwestern region, especially Halilu Sububu, who is believed to be Dauda Lawal’s right hand man in gold mining business, which I think happened to die with Dauda untraceable fortunes, that’s number one.
“Two, Gov Dauda Lawal is seeing the current Minister of State for Defence Bello Mohammed Matawalle as his potential nightmare against 2027 general elections, so long as he remains in office as the defense Minister,” Said Col. Anthony during a lecture he delivered in Abuja at the weekend, tittled, “150 tactics to stop terrorists funding”, which was organized by a non governmental organisation.
In Col. Anthony words: “Dauda Lawal’s style of governance is quite different from other sitting governors, looking at the way he abandoned his expected responsibilities as a Governor, to embark on blame games to cover up his weakness, adding that, “Dauda Lawal should have known that any government must inherit assets and liabilities.
Col. Anthony also urge Governor Dauda Lawal to fully explain to Nigerians the motive behind the already leaked memo where some bandit kingpins were captured as beneficiaries of hundreds of Millions of Naira including late, bandits kingpin Halilu Sububu, and the reshufflement of Treasury Staffs after the memo was leaked.
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