GTBank staff impostor bag 2 years jail term for N.1m scam
Andrew Orolua, Abuja
The Kano State High Court has sentenced one Ojotomobor Ovuakponye to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200, 000 for fraudulently using a girl friend bank account to perpetuate cyber crime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) secured Ovuakponye’s conviction on Wednesday before Justice Mohammed Yahaya of the Kano State High Court sitting in Gezawa after the accused reversed his earlier plea.
According to a statement issued by the Head, Media & Publicity of the (EFCC) Mr. Wilson Uwujaren the convict fraudulently obtained the sum of N100,000 from the account of one Jummai Ruqayya Mohammed through the bank account of his girlfriend.
“Acting on the guise that he is a staff of Guaranty Trust Bank, he sent fraudulent SMS to the complainant, informing her that her account had a problem and that she should contact her bank. She ended up contacting the convict.”
“After his arrest in 2017, further investigation revealed that the convict was coordinator of a crime syndicate in four countries- Ghana, Malaysia, Australia and United Kingdom,” the statement added.
EFCC also stated that the accused person specializes in hacking the account of potential victims, harvesting and transferring their financial information to accomplices in the aforementioned countries.
Upon his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty, but when the case came up on September 27, 2017 the convict dramatically changed his plea to an amended one count charge of cheating contrary to section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under section 322 of the same law.
In view of his new plea, prosecuting counsel Musa Isah asked the court to convict him. Consequently, Justice Yahaya convicted Ojotomobor and sentenced him to two years imprisonment with option of N200,000.
