Kaduna Courts Sentences Seven to Prison for Fraud

The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of seven individuals for various cybercrimes, including money laundering, impersonation, and online fraud. The convicts appeared before Justices R.M. Aikawa and Hauwa’u Buhari of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, and Justice A. Isiaka of the State High Court.

The convicted individuals are: Agbecha Fanem Samson (a.k.a. Michelle Pfeiffer), Shamsudeen Abdulkarim Alubankudi (a.k.a. Keren Adler), Paul Bukar Wadai (a.k.a. Odd Murphy), Onomza Emmanuel Gwamna (a.k.a. Dave Owen), Godswill Victor Effiong, Esogban Godtemple (a.k.a. Lahm Moses), and Odeyale Victor (a.k.a. Candice Weiss).

Each of the convicts was charged separately on one-count charges related to cybercrime activities. The charges included offenses such as money laundering, impersonation, and fraud.

For example, the charge against Agbecha Fanem Samson read: “That you Agbecha Fanem Samson (a.k.a Michelle Pfeiffer), sometime between March and August 2024 in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, retained the sum of N20,554,781.84 (Twenty Million, Five Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-One Naira and Eighty-Four Kobo) from one Johnson Aka Wolfman, a U.S. citizen, knowing that the funds were proceeds of an unlawful act, thereby committing an offense of money laundering, punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

The charge against Shamsudeen Abdulkarim Alubankudi stated: “That you, Shamsudeen Abdulkarim Alubankudi (a.k.a. Keren Adler), on or about 2024 in Zaria, within the jurisdiction of this court, falsely represented yourself as Keren Adler, an FBI undercover agent, certified ethical white-hat hacker, and scam recovery agent, and cheated one Charlene Landrum of Albany, Oregon, USA, out of $301.00 USD through Facebook, thereby committing an offense under Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.”

All seven individuals pleaded “guilty” to their respective charges. In light of their guilty pleas, the prosecution, led by M.E. Eimonye and M.J. Argungu, requested the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

The court’s sentences were as follows:

• Victor and Gwamna were each sentenced to two years in prison with an option to pay a fine of N600,000.00.
• Effiong and Alubankudi were each sentenced to three years in prison, with an option to pay fines of N700,000.00 and N500,000.00, respectively.
• Samson and Godtemple were each sentenced to five years in prison, with an option to pay fines of N500,000.00 and N600,000.00, respectively.
• Wadai received a seven-year prison sentence or the option to pay a fine of N700,000.00.

In addition to their prison terms, the convicts were ordered to forfeit various assets to the federal government. These assets included their mobile phones, a computer (tools used in the commission of their crimes), a Lexus car, and proceeds of the crime found in their bank accounts.

The EFCC apprehended the convicts in Minna, Niger State, following credible intelligence about their involvement in fraudulent internet activities.