Court jails woman seven years for N5.6m fraud in Kano
Kano State Court Sentences Woman to Seven Years for Fraud
A Kano State High Court has sentenced Ebonine Rita Uzoamaka to seven years in prison for obtaining 5.6 million naira under false pretenses. The decision was made by Justice Maryam Sabo, as announced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on its official social media accounts.
Uzoamaka was arraigned on August 18, 2021, facing five counts related to the fraudulent misappropriation of funds totaling 5,660,000 naira. The EFCC reported that she deceived her victim into believing she would supply D-Rich Baking Powder from Aba, Abia State. After receiving the funds, she failed to deliver the goods and instead used the money for personal purposes, prompting her prosecution.
One of the charges, which stemmed from an incident on January 18, 2021, accused Uzoamaka of fraudulently obtaining 2 million naira from Ochayi Anthony Eneche. She allegedly induced Eneche to transfer the funds to her Access Bank account, falsely claiming to have 500 cartons of baking powder for sale.
These charges contravened Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006, with penalties outlined in Section 1(3) of the same statute.
Uzoamaka pleaded not guilty at the outset, leading to a full trial. During the proceedings, prosecution attorney Salihu Sani presented four witnesses and submitted documentary evidence to support the case. Uzoamaka testified in her defense.
In her ruling, Justice Sabo found Uzoamaka guilty on all five counts, sentencing her to seven years in prison. The court also offered her the option to pay a fine of 500,000 naira.
