An Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City has convicted and sentenced eight internet fraudsters for offences bordering on advance fee fraud, obtaining by false pretence, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The convicts are Friday Osamudiamenwen, Monday Moses, Wisdom Idahosa, Osazuwa Oghomwen, Christopher Victor, Odion Desmond Osas, Monday Louis Adagboyin, and Bright Ogbiede.
They were arraigned before Justice M. Itsueli on separate one-count charges by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
One of the charges against Odion Desmond Osas read:
“That you, Odion Desmond Osas, on or about the 15th of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did have in your possession, on your iPhone 14 with IMEI Number 351246958475661, documents which you knew or ought to have known contained a false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 6 and 8 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
All the defendants pleaded guilty.
Prosecution counsel K.W. Chukuma-Eneh, I.M. Elodi, I.K. Agwai, M.S. Dahiru, and Ibrahim Al-Amin urged the court to convict them, while defence counsel appealed for leniency on grounds of remorse.
Justice Itsueli convicted and sentenced Osamudiamenwen, Idahosa, and Victor to two years’ imprisonment each or an option of ₦300,000 fine.
Moses and Oghomwen were handed two years’ imprisonment each or a fine of ₦250,000.
Desmond and Adagboyin received two years’ imprisonment each or a fine of ₦200,000, while Ogbiede was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦100,000.
In addition, the court ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ mobile phones, laptops, and funds traced to their bank accounts to the Federal Government.
The convicts also signed undertakings to be of good behaviour.
Their arrest followed credible intelligence by EFCC operatives in Benin, which linked them to various fraudulent online activities.
