Fraudsters Bag 7 Years Imprisonment for N2m Lottery Scam

For attempting to obtain a sum of N2million from their victim in fake Globacom promo lottery, the duo of Egbearo Friday and Samson Akpaibor are to spend 7 years behind bars.

The jail term was handed to the fraudsters on May 30 by Justice A. M Liman of the Federal High Court, Benin who found them guilty on all17-count charge that borders on obtaining by false, preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Egbearo and Akpaibor were first arraigned on June 17, 2013 following their arrest in the wake of a complaint by one Dr. Christopher Onwubuemeli. He alleged that Akpaibor Samson and others, sometime in August, 2011 sent him an SMS message purported to have emanated from Globacom,informing him that he had won two million naira in an ongoing recharge and win promo.

He also alleged that he was asked to pay some amount of money as taxes and surcharges before he could claim his two million naira prize money.

On conclusion of investigation, the case was duly charged to court with the accused persons pleading not guilty to the charges.    

However on April 9, 2014, after almost one year of trial, the defence informed the court that the accused persons wanted to change their plea on the strength of the prosecution’s case against them.

On May 28, 2014, Egbearo Friday and Akpaibor Samson pleaded guilty to all 17 counts of the charge preferred against them and were sentenced to seven (7) years imprisonment on each of the 17 counts. The sentences are however to run concurrently.

In addition, the convicts are to make restitution as follows: The Ecobank account number – 0042250938 belonging to the first accused (Egbearo Friday) used in defrauding people is to be relinquished to the Federal Government through the EFCC.

The sum of eight hundred and twenty nine thousand, five hundred and thirty six naira, ninety five kobo (N829,536.95) standing as balance in the account should be relinquished to the EFCC. From this money, a sum of One hundred and seventy four thousand naira (174,000.00) should be paid to John Alidu (a victim) in restitution and the balance forfeited to the Federal Government.

EFCC