Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced five individuals to six months imprisonment each for internet fraud.
The convicts — Okon Dennis Akpan, Franklin Agara Mbeh, Peter Chinedu Okpaga, Nwofoke Celestine, and Paul Egede Chinedu — were jailed on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, after pleading guilty to separate charges of online impersonation filed by the Uyo Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
One of the charges stated that Nwofoke Celestine fraudulently impersonated a Facebook user named Victoria Chiara to gain undue advantage — an offence that contravenes Section 22(2)(b)(i) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015.
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC counsel Temiloluwa Oladipupo presented the facts of the case and urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Ojukwu convicted all five and sentenced them to six months in prison with an option of a ₦1 million fine each. The court also ordered the forfeiture of all devices used in committing the crimes to the Federal Government.
