Court jails one, forfeits properties worth millions over Internet Fraud in Kaduna

Court jails one, forfeits properties worth millions over Internet Fraud in Kaduna

Abdullateef Fowewe

Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court has sentenced Manasseh Hamza Bello to five years imprisonment with an option of paying a fine of N500,000 over Internet fraud.

Bello was arrested and prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, following intelligence on the fraudulent activities of a cybercrime syndicate operating within the Barnawa, Kakuri and Television Garage axis of the Kaduna metropolis.

Bello was according to a statement by the EFCC on Friday prosecuted on a one-count charge bordering on impersonation.

The charge reads, “That you Manasseh Hamza Bello (a.k.a Domingos Pereira) (M), sometime in 2024 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, ccommitted an offence, to wit: falsely presenting yourself as Domingos Pereira (a white man) on Facebook (an online social media application), which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 142 (1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017.”

However, he pleaded guilty to the charge and the EFCC counsel, M.U Gadaka prayed to the court to convict and sentence him accordingly and the judge therefore convicted and sentenced him to five years imprisonment or to pay a fine of N500,000.

Meanwhile, the court ruled that he should forfeit the iPhone 13 Pro Max mobile phone, a Tecno PoP 8 mobile phone, a gold-coloured Toyota Camry car and the sum of N2,127,000.00 to the federal government.