The Abuja Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, November 14, 2019, secured the conviction of one Osarumwense Henry Afuwa (alias Manasseh Jordan) before Justice A.O Musa of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Bwari.
The Commission prosecuted the convict for internet fraud to the tune of $1,000.
Trouble started for the convict following intelligence report on his cyber crime activities. Scam documents and messages were found in his possession upon his arrest.
Further investigations showed that he posed as Manasseh Jordan, a pastor in United States in a fictitious WhatsApp Account, and at different times, defrauded foreign women through love scam.
Upon arraignment today, he pleaded guilty to the one-count charge in line with the plea bargain agreement his defence lawyer, Ruth Joshua entered with the prosecution.
Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel Fatima M.Mustapha prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
He was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment with N60,000 option of fine by Justice Musa.
In a related development, the Abuja Zonal Office of the Commission, on Thursday, November 14, 2019, arraigned one Alika Noma Emmanuel before Justice A.O Musa of the FCT High Court, Bwari on a three-count charge bordering on impersonation and forgery.
Emmanuel was alleged to have been posing as an officer of the EFCC and flaunting a forged identity card in attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
His arrest followed a complaint from Jonathan Shok Audi, one of his victims.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Alika Noma Emmanuel, sometime in October 2019, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, pretended to be a staff in the operation and investigation unit of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and in such assumed character, attempted to defraud Jonathan Shok Audi under the colour of such office and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 132 of the Penal Code Cap 532 Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990.”
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges, prompting prosecution counsel Fatima M.Mustapha to ask the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS. The defence counsel, A.O. Adu made no application for his bail.
Justice Musa ordered that the defendant be remanded in Kuje Prisons, Abuja and adjourned the matter until December 3, 2019 for hearing on the bail application.