Court convicts seven fraudsters, orders forfeiture of N230.3m, hotel recovered from them

The Federal High Court in Makurdi, Benue State, has ordered the forfeiture of more than N232 million and a hotel, recovered from seven convicted fraudsters, to the federal government. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $4,977 from the convicts, according to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The judge, M.S. Abubakar, issued the forfeiture orders after convicting and sentencing the fraudsters on charges of criminal impersonation, money laundering, cybercrime and obtaining by false pretence.

The convicts are Tamaraudeinyefa Brakekebebe, Godday Brakekebebe, Terhemba Asagh, Nyiter Elijah, Ahmed Akindele, Kennedy Ayanger and Hwande James.

EFCC said its Special Task Force (STF) in Makurdi arrested them in their hideouts, based on credible intelligence on their involvement in fraudulent criminal activities.

In one of the charges, the EFCC accused Tamaraudeinyefa Brakebebe, 24, of retaining proceeds of an unlawful activity, cybercrime. According to the indictment, the illegal proceeds consisted of N64.76 million found in his Access Bank account 0106661087 and N102.75 million discovered in his Zenith Bank account 2650121852.

He was charged under section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention etc) Act 2022, which criminalises the act of acquiring and retaining the proceeds of crime.

Section 18(3) of the same Act provides that anyone found culpable is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than four years but not more than fourteen years, or a fine not less than five times the value of the proceeds of the crime, or both.

If the offender is a corporate body, the law provides a fine of not less than five times the value of the funds or properties acquired and a revocation of its certificate or license if the corporate body persists in committing the offence.

EFCC also charged Mr Asagh, 27, with sending electronic messages via Facebook App with fake identity as an Asian soldier working for United Nations in the United State of America to defraud foreigners of about $300,000.

The prosecution accused him of transferring the money to his Kuda Bank account 2018650772 and using it to build the Century Crip Inn Hotel, Gboko, Benue State.

EFCC charged him under section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, prescribes as punishment, imprisonment for a term of not less than three years or a fine of not less than N7 million, or both for anyone who fraudulently impersonates to gain profit or property.

The seven defendants all pleaded “guilty” to the various charges instituted against them.

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Following their guilty pleas, the prosecuting lawyers – M.Yusuf, A.S.Idris, A.Gazali K.T.Sunday and Imadifon Igbinidu – reviewed the casea and urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Details of sentences

The trial judge sentenced Tamaraudeinyefa Brakekebebe to one year imprisonment with an option of a N500,000 fine and ordered the forfeiture of the funds recovered from him to the federal government.

For Godday Brakekebebe, the court sentenced him to three years imprisonment or a N500,000 fine. He was also ordered to forfeit N56 million from his Zenith Bank account and N200,000 from his Access Bank account.

However, Friday’s statement did not provide details of the sentences or forfeiture of the remaining five individuals.