The Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC, have secured the conviction and sentence of seven fraudsters for offences of cheating and obtaining under false pretences.
The convicts are; Yusuf O. Muhammed, Joseph Opeoluwa, and Samuel Chukwudi Okonkwo. Rotimi Tobi Samuel, Oladimeji Mubarak, Blessed Johnson and Usman Lari.
Samuel and Mubarak were arraigned on. May 6, 2025, before Justice Muazu Abubakar of the Bauchi State High Court. Muhammed, Opeoluwa and Okonkwo were arraigned on May 5, 2025, before Justice Shafa’u ladan Yusuf of Bauchi State High Court, while Lari and Johnson were arraigned before Justices Kereng Abdulhameed and Ludukiya Bulila Ikharo of Gombe and Taraba State High Courts, respectively, between April 3 and April 16, 2025.
The charge against Rotimi Tobi Samuel reads: “That you Rotimi Tobi Samuel sometimes in March 2024 at Bauchi State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud created fake social media account on telegram with the user name, paigeandpaigechannel and represented yourself as a female bearing the name Paige residing in Alabama USA, induced jack Phillips and Martinfred ( United States of American citizens ) to deliver to you $300 through gift card and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the penal code law.
Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, prompting the prosecution counsel, M.A. Aliyu and others to pray the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Having listened to both prosecution and defence counsel, Justice Muazu Abubakar convicted and sentenced Samuel and Mubarak to seven years imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira only) respectively.
On May 5, 2025, Justice Yusuf convicted and sentenced Muhammad to four months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N200,000.
While Okonkwo is to pay a fine of N50,000 instead of six months’ imprisonment.
On April 3, 2025, Justice Ikharo convicted and sentenced Johnson to four months imprisonment or a fine of N50,000.
On April 16, 2025, Justice Abdulhameed convicted and sentenced Lari to twelve months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N50,000.
The courts ruled that the aggregate sum of $735 ( Seven Hundred Thirty Five United States Dollars), being proceeds of crime recovered from the convicts during investigation be used to restitute the victims of crime while the mobile phones of the convicts, being instruments of crimes, be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested for obtaining money under false pretences. They were subsequently prosecuted and jailed.
