EFCC Secures Conviction of ‘Yahoo Boy’

The Abuja Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of one internet fraudster, Ken Odiase alias Phillip Lowell.

Odiase was convicted by Justice C. N. Oji of the FCT, High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, after pleading guilty to his charges. He was initially arraigned on October 15, 2019, on a one-count charge bordering on computer-related fraud and obtaining money by false pretense.

Following the plea guilty agreement, the court convicted and sentenced him to one-month imprisonment with an option of a fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and ordered him to forfeit all the proceeds of crime to the Federal Government.

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Odiase was amongst the fraudsters arrested by the anti-graft agency on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at No 5 Arbe-Saibra Dantata Estate, Kubwa, Abuja, following intelligence. Items recovered during the raid included mobile phones, laptop computers and a Mercedes C350 worth N3.5m (Three Million Five Hundred Naira) only.

From EFCC’s investigations, Ken lured his victims mainly based in the United States of America, USA, via a Face book profile with the name: Sergeant Phillip Lowell under the pretense of being military personnel working with the USA Army on a mission in Syria.

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He had successfully defrauded his victims of a total of $3,900; $2,000 from Lucinda Macaulay; $500 from Marie; $800 from Katherine and $600 from Sara. The monies were wired to him through Western Union into his First Bank account in Nigeria.

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