A Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has sentenced eight individuals to various jail terms for internet-related offences and involvement in a ₦1 billion fraud linked to Taj Bank Plc.
The convicts — Emmanuel Gbenga, Tobiloba Salau, Aderemi Ayodele, Tijani Aliyu, Daniel Olarewaju, Abdulsalam Usman, Oluwole Ayomide, and Adediran Pelumi — were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Kaduna Zonal Command, before Justice P. M. Ayuba and Justice A. A. Isiaka.
While six of them were convicted for cybercrimes, two others — Ayodele and Pelumi — were found guilty of stealing and money laundering after fraudulently accessing over ₦1 billion from Taj Bank accounts through a software compromise.
The EFCC disclosed in a statement on Friday that the convicts were arrested at different times following actionable intelligence on their involvement in cybercrime and financial system breaches.
Following their arraignment, each defendant pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced accordingly. The court also ordered the forfeiture of items recovered from them, including a BMW car, laptops, phones, and ₦24 million in cash, to the Federal Government.
