Crime
Internet Fraud Lands Uniport Undergraduate 14-Year Jail Term
Justice A. T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced a final year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Henry Nathaniel Ekanem to 14 years imprisonment for internet fraud.
He was jailed on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 upon arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a seven-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and impersonation.
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One of the counts reads: “That you, Henry Nathaniel Ekanem on or about 17th September, 2024, at Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of Twenty Two United states of America dollars ($22) from Diana Roskov by fraudulently representing yourself as Coran Capsha, manager of the singer, Chris Stapleton, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud-Related Offences Act 2006.”
He pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him.
In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, A. Abubakar called witnesses, tendered some documents as evidence which were admitted by the court and marked as exhibits.
Thereafter, he prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.
Counsel to the defendant, F. T. Fred-Boufini did not oppose the prayers by the prosecution.
She rather prayed the court to temper justice with mercy stressing that the defendant was a first time offender with no previous criminal records.
Justice Mohammed convicted and sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment on each of the seven -count or an option of fine of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) payable into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge also ordered that all the phones recovered from the convict be forfeited to the government, being proceeds of crime.
The convict was also ordered to depose an affidavit of good behaviour before the court.
Ekanem started his journey to the Correctional Centre when he was arrested by operatives of the Commission sometime in September, 2024 at Choba, Port Harcourt, for internet fraud and other fraud-related activities.
The convict successfully defrauded one Diana Roskov, among others, by fraudulently representing himself as Coran Capsha, manager of the singer, Chris Stapleton through WhatsApp and Instagram chats.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a court order to arrest and detain six individuals suspected of orchestrating a cryptocurrency investment fraud worth over one billion dollars.
On Thursday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in favor of the EFCC’s ex parte application, allowing the agency to apprehend the promoters of Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX).
The judge emphasized the strength of the application presented by EFCC counsel, Fadila Yusuf.
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“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel for the applicant (EFCC). I have also gone through the affidavit evidence with exhibits thereto along with the written address. I am of the view, and I so hold, that the application is meritorious. Consequently, the application is granted as prayed,” Justice Nwite declared.
The six individuals named in the case are Adefowora Abiodun Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede, Avwerosuo Otorudo, and Chukwuebuka Ehirim.
All are accused of using their company, ST Technologies International Limited, to promote CBEX and mislead investors with promises of extraordinary returns.
According to the EFCC, intelligence received in April 2025 indicated that the suspects ran an elaborate scheme in which investors were urged to convert their digital assets into USDT, a stablecoin, and deposit them into CBEX’s wallet.
Initially, users were allowed to monitor their investments, but after accumulating deposits exceeding $1 billion, the platform reportedly became inaccessible.
The anti-graft agency’s preliminary investigation revealed that the investment platform, though promoted by a registered company, lacked proper licensing from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Additionally, the accused had allegedly vacated their known addresses in Lagos and Ogun States, making it difficult to track them down.
Fadila Yusuf, representing the EFCC, argued that the defendants’ actions violated several laws and that arrest warrants were crucial to advance the investigation.
She noted that the EFCC received actionable intelligence alleging various criminal activities involving the suspects, and stressed the commission’s responsibility in preventing and investigating financial crimes.
“The defendants are at large, and a warrant of arrest is required to arrest the defendants for proper investigation and prosecution of this case,” Yusuf said.
The commission has requested that the suspects be placed on the red watch list to facilitate their apprehension.
It maintains that granting the application serves the interest of justice and is necessary to proceed with prosecution based on the evidence gathered so far.
A TikTok content creator, Emmanuel Ajibade, appeared before an Akure Magistrates’ Court on Thursday over allegations of cyberbullying a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer.
According to the police prosecutor, Inspector Taiwo Oniyere, the incident took place in the Higher Height Area of Orita Obele in Akure.
Oniyere explained that Ajibade, along with unidentified accomplices still at large, conspired to commit a series of offences including cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and criminal defamation.
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The prosecutor claimed that Ajibade used his TikTok account, checkers69, to circulate false information with the intention of causing public nuisance and targeting an FRSC official, Ibitoye Samuel.
“His action also resulted in intimidation, enmity and hatred, ill will and needless anxiety for Ibitoye Samuel, an official of FRSC in the state,” Oniyere told the court.
He added that the offences violated Section 27(b) and Section 24(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act of 2015.
Based on these allegations, Oniyere urged the court to order Ajibade’s remand in a correctional facility under Section 269(2)(b) of the Nigerian legal code.
Ajibade’s legal representative, Mr. A. F. Awala, responded by requesting a short adjournment to enable the defence team to file a counter-affidavit.
In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Olateju Odenusi-Fadeyi ordered that the defendant be held at the SWAT Police Station rather than a correctional centre.
She also instructed the police to ensure Ajibade receives necessary medical care while in custody.
The case was adjourned until April 30, 2025, for mention.
A senior lecturer at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Dr Usman Aliyu, has been dismissed from his position following allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by a postgraduate student, Mrs Kamila Rufai Aliyu.
The decision was ratified during the university’s 96th regular council meeting held on April 11, 2025, and made public through the ATBU Herald (Vol. 39 No. 5, April 22), the institution’s official publication.
The dismissal came after the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee found Dr Aliyu guilty of misconduct.
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The disciplinary panel concluded that the lecturer engaged in an inappropriate relationship with Mrs Kamila Aliyu, a married student from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Engineering Technology.
According to the university’s dismissal letter, “Following the report of the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee that found you guilty of an indecent relationship involving a student of the university, Mrs Kamila Rufai Aliyu… the council has subsequently approved your dismissal from the services of the university with immediate effect.”
Mrs Aliyu had submitted a petition to the university in 2024, accusing Dr Aliyu of sexually harassing her and alleging that he threatened to jeopardize her academic progress if she refused his advances.
In response to the accusations, Dr Aliyu filed a defamation lawsuit against the student, her department, and the university. Despite the legal action, the university continued its internal investigation, which led to the eventual dismissal.
The university noted that the decision was in accordance with “Chapter 3, Item F, I (o) of the Senior Staff Conditions of Service of the University,” as stated in a release by the Senior Deputy Registrar, Senior Staff Establishment, Alhaji Abdullahi Suleiman.
Furthermore, the lecturer has been instructed to return all university belongings in his custody.
“You are hereby directed to hand over all the property of the university in your possession to the Head of Department and your identification card to the Chief Security Officer of the university,” the letter added.
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