Six Fraudsters Jailed, ₦2.8 Million Restituted to Victims

Justices H.H. Kereng and Abdulhamid Yakubu of Gombe State High Court 2 and 3, sitting in Gombe, on August 5, 2025, convicted and sentenced six individuals—Maigari Abba, Joseph Samuel Bulus, Kasheaure Joseph, Emmanuel Dilibe, Livite Ibrahim, and Awolowo Martins—for various fraud-related offenses including breach of trust, cheating, and impersonation.

The suspects, arraigned separately by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pleaded guilty to their charges. The charges stem from activities between 2024 and 2025, with one notable offense involving Joseph Samuel Bulus impersonating a former UK King’s Guard named Peter Elis. Bulus created fake Facebook and TikTok accounts to lure unsuspecting individuals into sending money, mostly via gift cards, obtaining approximately $1,500 fraudulently.

Upon hearing submissions from the prosecution and defense, Justice Kereng sentenced Maigari Abba to six months imprisonment or a fine of ₦60,000 and Awolowo Martins to six months imprisonment or a fine of ₦50,000. Justice Yakubu sentenced Joseph Samuel Bulus, Emmanuel Dilibe, and Livite Ibrahim to 24 months imprisonment each or a fine of ₦50,000 each.

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Additionally, the courts ordered that the aggregate sum of ₦2,800,000 recovered as proceeds of crime be used to compensate the victims. The convicts were also ordered to forfeit one laptop and five mobile phones seized during their arrest, which were identified as instruments of the crimes, to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

These convictions followed intelligence gathered by the EFCC, leading to the suspects’ arrest, prosecution, and sentencing. The EFCC continues to intensify efforts to curb internet fraud and related financial crimes in the region through diligent investigative work and prosecution.