Port Harcourt internet fraudsters sentenced to jail

Three internet fraud kingpins, namely Gospel Asawari, Asuquo Daniel Bright, and Chile Mark Chioma, have been convicted and sentenced to one year in jail each by Justice P.I. Ajoku of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The charges against them include impersonation and obtaining money by false pretense, which are offenses under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015.

The sentencing took place on July 20, 2023, following the defendants’ guilty pleas to separate one count charges brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Port Harcourt Zonal Command.

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, K. A. Yunus, A. J. Obagie, and A. Abubakar, sought the court’s conviction and sentencing of the defendants as charged. On the other hand, counsel to the defendants, G. N. Chukwu, B. F. Esaenwi, and E. S. Aluzu, appealed for leniency.

Ultimately, Justice Ajoku sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment along with a fine of Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000.00), which can be paid as an option into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Additionally, the Judge ordered the forfeiture of the following items to the Federal Republic of Nigeria: one Infinix Smart 6 plus, one black iPhone XR, one iPhone 13 Pro Max, the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($150.00USD), and one iPhone 8 mobile device, all recovered from the convicted individuals.

Furthermore, the court mandated that the convicts depose an affidavit of good behavior.

The convicts were apprehended by EFCC operatives in June 2023 during a sting operation at Rivtaf Golf Estate in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The investigation revealed that they ran various fake social media accounts to defraud unsuspecting foreigners.