EFCC docks 2 for internet fraud
Andrew Orolua, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kano zonal Office has arraigned Imoniaye Rona Daniel (a.k.a Richard Willbur) and Anigbo Emmanuel (a.k.a William Manson) before Justice P.H. Mallong of the Federal High Court Kaduna on a five-count charge for internet fraud.
The defendants were allegedly involved in changing computer IP addresses and
numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the internet protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions, host or network interface identification and location addressing
EFCC said trouble started for the defendants, following intelligence reports received by the commission, which alleged that some criminal internet activities were being carried out by the defendants.
They were to have fraudulently clone computer IP addresses by changing same to falsely indicate that the computer was being operated in the United States of America while actually it was in Nigeria.
Upon a raid by EFCC agents on their apartment, several computers that included HP laptop, MacBook Pro Apple laptop and one external hard drive were recovered.
Count one of the charge reads: ”That you Imoniaye Rona Daniel (a.k.a Richard Willbur) and Anigbo Emmanuel (a.k.a William Manson) on October 23, 2018, conspired among yourselves to commit an unlawful act with intent to defraud, procure for use,
a computer programme called wind scribe software to change your IP address location on the internet from Nigeria to the United States and thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015 and punishable under Section 28 (1) of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.
In view of their not guilty pleas, the prosecution counsel, Michael Ojo applied for a trial date and prayed that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.
Defence counsel, I.C Ekpunobi, however, prayed the court to rather remand them in EFCC custody, pending the hearing of their bail applications.
Justice Mallong adjourned hearing on the bail applications to May 15 and 16, and directed that the suspects be remanded in EFCC’s custody.
