A Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, presided by Justice M.S. Abubakar, has mandated the forfeiture of several assets, including a hotel and substantial monetary sums, to the federal government.
This ruling involves the recovery of ₦232,396,714.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Two Million, Three Hundred and Ninety-Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fourteen Naira) and $4,977 (Four Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy-Seven US Dollars) from seven individuals convicted of fraudulent activities.
The forfeiture stems from the individuals' convictions on distinct one-count charges related to criminal impersonation, money laundering, cybercrime, and obtaining property by false pretenses. The cases were prosecuted by the Makurdi Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The convicts are identified as follows: Tamaraudeinyefa Shedrack Brakekebebe, Godday Conference Brakekebebe, Terhemba Josiah Asagh, Nyiter Avalumun Elijah, Ahmed Alabi Akindele, Kennedy Torbem Ayanger, and Hwande Aondooungwa James.
The indictment against Tamaraudeinyefa Shedrack Brakekebebe was stated as: “That you, Tamaraudeinyefa Shedrack Brakekebebe, a male aged 24 years, during the course of your actions in Makurdi, Benue State, retained the sum of ₦64,762,169.00 (Sixty-Four Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty-Nine Naira) in your Access Bank Account Number 0106661087 and ₦102,750,246.00 (One Hundred and Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira) in your Zenith Bank Account Number 2650121852, which you reasonably knew to be proceeds of unlawful activities, specifically cybercrime. This conduct constitutes a violation of Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2022, and is punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.”
The charge against Terhemba Josiah Asagh states: “That you, Terhemba Josiah Asagh, a male aged 27 years, engaged in activities between 2021 and 2025 in Makurdi, Benue State, intending to defraud, utilized electronic messages via the Facebook application while impersonating an Asian soldier purportedly working for the United Nations in the United States of America. Consequently, unsuspecting foreign individuals incurred losses totaling approximately $300,000, which you transferred to your Kuda Bank Account Number 2018650772 and subsequently utilized to construct the Century Crip Inn Hotel in Gboko. This conduct is in violation of Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2015 and is punishable under the same Act.”
All individuals pleaded “guilty” to the charges upon their presentation. In subsequent deliberations, prosecuting counsel M. Yusuf, A. S. Idris, A. Gazali K. T. Sunday, and Imadifon Igbinidu advocated for appropriate convictions and sentences.
In the sentencing phase, Justice Abubakar sentenced Tamaraudeinyefa Brakekebebe to one year of imprisonment or, alternatively, a fine of ₦500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira). Furthermore, he ordered the forfeiture of ₦102,750,246.00 and ₦64,762,169.00 to the federal government.
Godday Brakekebebe received a sentence of three years imprisonment or a fine of ₦500,000.00. He was also directed to forfeit ₦56,633,246.00 (Fifty-Six Million, Six Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira) from his Zenith Bank Account Number 4068151050 and ₦200,929.00 (Two Hundred Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Nine Naira) from his Access Bank Account Number 1462517972.
Terhemba Josiah Asagh was sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of ₦1,500,000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira). He is also required to forfeit the Century Crip Inn Hotel, located at No: 41 Adekaa Yaji Street, Gboko North LGA, Benue State, and a Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic.
Nyiter Avalumun Elijah was sentenced to one year of imprisonment or a fine of ₦500,000.00. He is obligated to restitute ₦10 million to his victim through the EFCC Recovery Account and forfeit a Mercedes-Benz GLE.
Ahmed Alabi Akindele received a sentence of two years imprisonment or a fine of ₦100,000.00, along with a restitution requirement of ₦1,645,000.00 to his victim.
Please kindly proceed with your payment via the PayPal account provided below and send in the screenshot for confirmation. PayPal name: Debra Bagwell PayPal User: Dbagwell182 Kindly select the "family and friends" option during the payment process to ensure efficient processing and confirmation at our end. Please note that we may not be able to access the payment if the aforementioned option is not utilized. Thank youKennedy Torbem Ayanger was sentenced to one-year imprisonment or a fine of ₦100,000.00, while Hwande Aondooungwa James was sentenced to three years imprisonment or a fine of ₦500,000.00. Both are also subject to restitution obligations to their respective victims.