Justice Maureen Adaobi Onyetenu of the Federal High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced an internet fraudster, Prince Mbang Uba, to one year imprisonment with an option of a fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira only).
Uba was convicted on a two-count charge of criminal impersonation and obtaining by false pretences involving the sum of Three Hundred United States Dollars ($300).
The charges against Uba were related to his fraudulent activities on social media, where he impersonated someone named Sophia Johnson on Facebook and obtained $300 from a victim. He pleaded guilty to the charges.
The prosecuting counsel, Victor Ukagwu, reviewed the facts of the case and presented the convict’s statements, his iPhone X, and incriminating documents printed from his phone as evidence. Subsequently, Ukagwu requested the court to convict and sentence Uba accordingly. However, the defense counsel, Innocent Eze, pleaded for leniency and asked the court to show mercy.
Uba’s criminal activities were exposed when he was arrested by EFCC operatives on June 6, 2023, in Calabar, Cross River State, for his online fraud activities. Investigations revealed that Uba specialized in impersonating foreign nationals on social media platforms to defraud unsuspecting victims.
In a related case, Justice Onyetenu remanded a lawyer, Imoh Johnson Ekong, at the Uyo Correctional facility over alleged property fraud amounting to N12 million. Ekong was arrested and arraigned on charges of stealing and criminal conversion related to a property transaction.
The charges against Ekong included allegations that he used the sum of N12 million, which reasonably ought to have been known as proceeds of unlawful acts, for fraudulent conversion. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the court remanded him in custody. The case was adjourned for further hearing on his bail application.
These actions reflect the commitment to combat internet fraud and other related offenses in Nigeria, as law enforcement agencies work to hold individuals accountable for their criminal activities.
