Justices P. I. Ajoku and S. D. Pam of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state have convicted and sentenced three internet fraudsters to 90-days imprisonment.
Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dele Oyewale identified the convicts as Rex Akah Kinikachi Kelvin, Kennedy Chinedu Eleyi-Waltar and Chris Orji.
The statement noted that they were to serve jail time at Port Harcourt Correctional Centre for impersonation and obtaining money under false pretences.
It said the trio were arraigned by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the EFCC following their arrest by its operatives during a sting operation in March 2025 at various locations in the Rivers State capital for internet-related fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.
The statement reads in part,
‘They were convicted and sentenced on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 upon being arraigned by the Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one- count separate charges bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and impersonation’.
According to the EFCC spokesman, the charge against Kelvin reads: ‘That you, Rex Akah Kinikachi Kelvin, sometimes in February, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud obtained the sum of $500 from your victim-Denise D. Moore, through your Telegram account under the guise of being an American fashion model from the United States of America which pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
‘They all pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them individually’.
It further said in view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, H. O. Nweze, N. A. Dodo and M. Abubakar tendered some documents in evidence which were admitted and marked as exhibits.
‘They prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants in line with their pleas’.
Counsel to the defendants, Eugene, S. A. Kyenge and B. E. Onuoha did not oppose the prayers by the prosecution but prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that the defendants, being first time offenders, did not have any previous criminal records.
Justice Ajoku and Justice Pam convicted and sentenced all the defendants to thirty months imprisonment each in the Port Harcourt Correctional Center with an option of N200,000, payable into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge also ordered that, two Samsung mobile devices, a Toyota Highlander SUV, one iphone 7 plus, one iphone 6S plus, one iphone 14, one Samsung S 10E, one iphone XR recovered from the convicts at the scene of arrest be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
That the convicts should also depose to an affidavit of good behaviour before the court.
The statement said, ‘The convicts started their journey to the Correctional Center when they were arrested in a sting operation carried out by operatives of the EFCC, sometime in March, 2025 at various locations in Port Harcourt.
‘They were arrested for internet- related fraud and obtaining money under false pretence’.
