A final-year student at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for internet fraud.
This case signifies the growing issue of cybercrime and its serious consequences.
Ekanem was convicted by Justice A. T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday October 30.
The charges, brought by the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), included seven counts of obtaining money under false pretenses and impersonation.
Specifically, Ekanem was found guilty of posing as Coran Capsha, the manager of singer Chris Stapleton, to defraud a victim named Diana Roskov of $22.
Upon his arraignment, Ekanem pleaded guilty to the charges. The prosecution, led by counsel A. Abubakar, presented evidence and called witnesses to support the case.
In response, Ekanem's defense counsel, F. T. Fred-Boufini, acknowledged the charges and requested leniency, highlighting that Ekanem was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record.
Justice Mohammed sentenced Ekanem to two years imprisonment for each of the seven counts, with an option to pay a fine of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) per count into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Additionally, all phones recovered from Ekanem were ordered to be forfeited to the government, as they were considered proceeds of his criminal activities.
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