Ukoh Michael Odeh, a Yahoo Boy involved in internet fraud, has been sentenced to jail by Justice O.A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja. Odeh was found guilty of lodging N6 million in illicit proceeds into his First City Monument Bank (FCMB) account.
The case was brought before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Makurdi Zonal Command, which had received an intelligence report regarding the suspicious activities of individuals suspected of internet fraud in Makurdi.
Odeh’s fraudulent activities came to light when the EFCC discovered the significant amount of money, N6 million, in his FCMB account (Account No: 4668442010) and he was unable to provide a legitimate source for the funds.
The charge against him read: “That you, Ukoh Michael Odeh, between 2022 and 2023 in Makurdi, Benue State, failed to account for the source of N6,000,000 in your FCMB account when you reasonably ought to have known or suspected that the said unaccounted funds formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity, to wit: Fraud and Money laundering.”
Upon hearing the charge, Odeh pleaded guilty. Consequently, the prosecuting counsel, M. Yusuf, requested the court to convict him accordingly.
Justice Egwuatu sentenced Odeh to one year in prison and imposed an option of N300,000.00 fine. Additionally, Odeh was ordered to forfeit N300,000.00 as restitution to the Federal Government of Nigeria through the EFCC.
Furthermore, Odeh was directed to forfeit an Infinix 7 smartphone, identified as proceeds of criminal activity, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
