Ilorin footballer sentenced to 12 years for internet fraud
A professional footballer, Jacob Wisdom Chukwuemeka, was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison, for offenses bordering on internet fraud and possession of fraudulent funds.
He was jailed by Justice Muhammed Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State on Monday, October 4, 2022.
Chukwuemeka was imprisoned, having pleaded guilty to two counts bordering on possession of fraudulent funds, due to his indictment by the Ilorin Area Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Count 1 reads: “That you, Jacob Wisdom Chukwuemeka, between May 6, 2021 and April 22, 2022, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, retained control of the gross sum of N792,454 .00 (Seven Hundred Ninety Two Thousand Four Hundred Fifty Four Naira only) to your bank account number 3137249795 in the name of: Jacob Wisdom Chukwuemeka domiciled with First Bank Plc whom you knew to be the product of criminal behavior and who has thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under section 17(a) and (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004”
He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.
Following his plea, the attorney for the prosecutor, Aliyu Adebayo, requested the court to find him guilty and sentence him as charged.
In his judgment, Judge Sani sentenced Chukwuemeka to three years imprisonment on counts one and two respectively, which are to be executed concurrently. He was, however, granted a fine option of N792,454.00 (seven hundred and ninety-two thousand, four hundred and fifty-four naira only) on the first charge and N300,000 (three one hundred thousand naira only) on count two. . The i-phone 11 he used to commit the crime and a draft of 250,000 naira (two hundred and fifty thousand naira only) were confiscated for the benefit of the federal government.
Further, the court ordered the convict to return his victim with the sum of N524,454.00 (five hundred and forty two thousand four hundred and fifty four Naira only) being the balance of the proceeds of his fraudulent dealings against him.
Chukwuemeka’s journey to the correctional center began when he was arrested by officers from the EFCC’s Ilorin Area Command, for keeping suspicious funds in his bank accounts. He was investigated and could not account for the funds.
