Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court sitting, in Kaduna State has convicted and jailed Stephen Ime Ibanga and Augustine Mmesoma Umunnabuike for fraud.
They were prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on separate one-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence, cheating and impersonation.
Ibanga’s charge reads: “That you, Stephen Ime Ibanga (a.k.a James Armstrong) male, sometimes in March, 2025 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, impersonated James Armstrong (a citizen of United States of America) on ‘Facebook’ (an online social media application) and benefitted the total sum of N744,968.00 (Seven Hundred and Forty-four Thousand Nine Hundred and Six-eight Naira, only) from several unsuspecting victims and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”
That of Umunnabuike reads: “That you, Augustine Mmesoma Umunnuabuike (a.k.a Demian) on or about the 16th of June, 2025 in Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, impersonated one Demian (a Korean national) via Facebook platform and in such assumed character, cheated unsuspecting members of the public and you thereby an offence contrary to Section 142(1) of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law 2017 and punishable under the same law.”
They both pleaded “guilty,” following which prosecution counsels, M.O. Arumemi and M.E.Eimonye urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Bello, thereafter, convicted and sentenced Ibanga to three years imprisonment or to pay N100,000.00 (One Hundred thousand Naira) fine. In addition, he forfeited his iPhone 15, being the tool of his crime and the sum of $USD70 (Seventy United States Dollars) and N744,968.00 (Seven Hundred and Forty-four Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty-eight Naira), being the proceeds of his crime to the federal government.
He convicted and sentenced Umunnabuike to two years imprisonment or to pay N150,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira). In addition, he forfeited his iPhone 15 Pro, being the tool of his crime to the federal government.
Both were arrested in Kafanchan LGA and Mahuta axis of Kaduna State, following credible intelligence that exposed their fraudulent internet activities.
In a related development, the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC has arraigned one Samaila Adamu Gambo before Justice A.Isiaka of the State High Court, sitting in Kaduna State for fraud.
He was arraigned on a three-count charge, bordering on obtaining by false pretence and forgery.
Count one of his charge reads: “That you, Samaila Adamu Gambo, sometime in January, 2020, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira, only) only from one Aminu Dalha Haruna for the sale of a plot of land situated at No 3 Pampa Ida Millennium City, Kaduna, when you falsely presented yourself as the rightful owner of the said plot, a pretence you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 a d punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Another charge reads: “That you, Samaila Adamu Gambo, sometimes in January, 2020, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly used a genuine forged a document titled: Provisional Offer of Grant/Re-Grant of Statutory Rights of Occupancy No. KDL/100275, purportedly allocated to one Abubakar Datti Yahaya which you knew same document to be forged and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 347 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State, 2017 and punishable under Section 345 of the same Law.”
He pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to him, prompting the prosecution counsel, M.Lawal to urge the court to fix a date for commencement of trial the defendant bail.
Justice A. Isiaka, granted him bail in the sum of N2 million, with one surety in like sum. The surety, the judge held, shall be a landed property owner, covered by a digital certificate of occupancy, to be verified by KADGIS.
He adjourned the case till November 4, 2025 for hearing and ordered that the defendant be remanded in correctional centre pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions.
Gambo walked his way to prosecution following a petition by one Aminu Dalha Haruna, alleging that the defendant approached him, sometime in January, 2020 and introduced himself as the rightful owner of a plot of land situated at No.3 Pampa Ida Millennium City, Kaduna State which he said, he has up for sale. He claimed that they arrived at the cost price of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira, only) which he paid to the defendant. He further claimed that unknown to him, the defendant went ahead and sold the same plot of land to another person without his consent and that all efforts to recover his money proved abortive.