EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture

EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced two men, Agboola Abdullahi Abiodun and Victor Okonjo, for offences involving money laundering, cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation.

The convictions were secured by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice F.N. Ogazi.

The two men were separately arraigned before the court and pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.

Abiodun faced a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and related offences. One of the allegations involved disguising proceeds from a dating scam through the purchase of a black Toyota Venza.

The offence was prosecuted under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, with the prosecution alleging that Abiodun dealt with proceeds linked to unlawful activity in a manner intended to conceal their origin.

Okonjo was separately arraigned on a two-count charge involving cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation.

One of the counts alleged that Okonjo fraudulently impersonated Aaron Bauer, identified in the charge as a male citizen of the United States, with the intention of obtaining an advantage for himself.

The allegation was brought under provisions of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.

After the charges were read to the defendants, both men entered guilty pleas before the court.

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Following their pleas, EFCC prosecutor F.B. Orilade reviewed the facts of the cases and presented the prosecution’s evidence. He subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants according to the law.

Justice Ogazi, after considering the facts presented before the court and the defendants’ pleas, convicted both men and imposed separate sentences.

Abiodun was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on count one, while he received one year each on counts two and three.

Okonjo, meanwhile, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment with an option of a ₦500,000 fine on count one and four years’ imprisonment on count two.

The court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the terms would not be added together to create separate consecutive prison periods.

The sentences were also ordered to take effect from the dates of the defendants’ arrests.

In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ mobile phones, laptops and vehicles.

The items listed in the forfeiture order include a Toyota Venza and a 2020 Mercedes-Benz.

Justice Ogazi directed that the forfeited assets should be sold and that the proceeds should be used to compensate the victims of the offences where the victims can be identified and traced.

Where the victims cannot be traced, the court ordered that the proceeds from the sale of the assets should be paid into the coffers of the Federal Government.

The judgment underscores the financial consequences that can accompany convictions for online fraud, money laundering and fraudulent impersonation, particularly where proceeds of alleged criminal activity are converted into valuable assets.

In Abiodun’s case, the prosecution linked the alleged laundering offence to proceeds from a dating scam and the purchase of a Toyota Venza.

Okonjo’s conviction, meanwhile, centred on the alleged fraudulent use of another person’s identity for personal advantage.

The case is also part of the broader efforts by the EFCC to prosecute suspected internet fraud and financial crime cases and recover assets linked to criminal offences.

With the court’s orders, the forfeited vehicles and electronic devices are to be disposed of in accordance with the judgment, with priority given to compensating identifiable victims.

The convictions bring the proceedings against the two defendants at the trial court to a close, subject to any further legal steps available to them under Nigerian law.

EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture