The Federal High Court in Lagos, on Tuesday, sentenced one Mrs Damilola Adeyeri and her son, Alaba, to three years’ imprisonment for defrauding an American of the sum of $82,570.

Justice C. J. Aneke convicted the duo of the four counts bordering on “fraudulent business trick and email compromise” filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Damilola and her son had pleaded guilty to the charges at their arraignment on Tuesday.

The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Bilikisu Buhari, told the court that the mother and son conspired with one Kareem Russel, who is still at large, to defraud the Chief Executive Officer of American Cranes Manufacturing Company.

Buhari said they committed the offences in June 2017 and were arrested on September 6, 2019.

Damilola and Alaba were said to have carried out the fraud by “dishonestly representing yourselves as the CEO of American Cranes Manufacturing Company, and thereafter, you sent an email from [email protected] with the intent to gain an advantage to yourselves.”

The prosecutor told the court that the convicts acted contrary to sections 27 (1) (a) and 23 (3) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, and were liable to be punished under Section 22(1) of the same Act.

The offences were also said to be contrary to sections 421 and 422 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38.

In his judgment, Justice Aneke said he would temper justice with mercy because the convicts pleaded guilty to the charges immediately, rather than waste the time of the court.

He sentenced them to three years’ imprisonment on each of the four counts but said the sentences would run concurrently.

The judge said, however, that despite the fact that the convicts immediately admitted guilt and showed remorse, he had the duty to administer punishment in accordance with the relevant laws, to serve as a deterrent to others.

“Consequently, I hereby sentence each of the convicts to three years on counts one, two, three and four. The sentences are to run concurrently,” Justice Aneke held.

The Imo State Police Command, on Tuesday, confirmed the death of the Commander of Special Anti-Robbery Squad in the Akokwa unit of the state, Obaseki Banjoko.

The police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, said that the death of the SARS commander was a big loss to the command.

Ikeokwu said the patent medicine dealer, who administered an injection on Banjoko that led to his death, had been arrested.

He added that the state Commissioner of Police, Olaniyi Fafowora, had ordered an investigation into the incident.

“I can confirm the death of the SARS commander, Akokwa Unit. It is a big loss to the command. He was a committed cop and passionate crime fighter. The CP has ordered an investigation into the matter to determine the cause of his death,” Ikeokwu stated.

Our correspondent learnt that the deceased started shaking and lost consciousness after the injection was administered on him.

He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan zonal office, on Wednesday arrested a 33-year-old landlord, Stanley Awam, for allegedly harbouring suspected Internet fraudsters in his house.

Awam and 10 suspected Internet fraudsters were picked up in different locations in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, following intelligence on their alleged illegal activities.

The commission said the arrest was a daunting task as Awam’s six-flat property was at an isolated environment in the Ologuneru area of the city.

Nine of the suspects and the landlord were arrested on the premises of the house.

The suspected Internet fraudsters are Henry Echefu, Usman Mustapha, Adeleke David, Olafuyi Josiah, Shorefire Ayokunmi, Riliwan Ajao, Abulsalam Abubakar and Lukman Salam.

In a related development, the EFCC operatives arrested two other suspected Internet fraudsters, Adeyemo Muktarh and Bashir Mohammed, in the Eleyele and Old Bodija areas of Ibadan on Wednesday.

The acting Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Tony Orilade, said, “Further investigations on the suspects are ongoing.

“The indicted persons will be charged as soon as possible. Items recovered from them include three exotic cars, laptops, mobile phones and land documents.”

The commission said it was also prosecuting one Ebenezer Okunlola on three counts bordering on impersonation, possession of scam documents and obtaining money by false pretences.

Okunlola, who claimed to be a 300-level student of the National Open University of Nigeria, was arraigned before Justice Peter Odo Lifu of the Federal High Court 2 sitting in Osogbo, Osun State.

One of the charges read that Okunlola, sometime in 2019 in Osogbo, obtained iTunes gift cards worth $750 from one Kimmy Antley, an American.

The suspect was said to have falsely represented himself as a white man named Ryan Dudely.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

The prosecution counsel, Murtala Usman, asked the court for a trial date and an order to remand the accused person in a correctional centre pending the determination of the matter.

However, the defence counsel, M. O. Ademola, prayed the court to admit his client to bail pending the determination of the charges against him.

The presiding judge granted him bail in the sum of N10m and one surety in like sum.

The surety, the judge held, must be a civil servant residing within the jurisdiction of the court and must also be a landowner and related by blood to the defendant.

The judge ordered that the accused person be remanded in a correctional centre pending when he would meet the bail conditions.

Justice Lifu adjourned the matter till February 6, 2020.

A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has struck out a N3 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, against the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke struck out the suit Thursday after the court was informed about the decision of the AGF to withdraw a letter to the company demanding N2 billion alleged unremitted tax.

MTN Nigeria had filed a suit challenging the letter, which was served to it in 2018.

Habibat Ajana, counsel to the AGF, had drawn the judge’s attention to a January 8, 2020, letter by the AGF to MTN, in which the former said he had reviewed the issue and had decided to withdraw the demand letter.

Responding, Wole Olanipekun, a senior advocate of Nigeria and counsel to MTN Nigeria, said with the withdrawal letter from the AGF, his client would drop its suit.

Consequently, the judge struck out the suit.

In the suit, MTN Nigeria had prayed the court to award N3bn against the AGF for rights infringement.

Mr Olanipekun had argued that in writing the demand letter to MTN, Mr Malami acted beyond his powers and violated the provisions of Section 36 of the constitution on fair hearing with “the purported revenue assets investigation” he carried out on the firm’s activities covering 2007 to 2017.