The Uyo Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of Nsikan Solomon Ibanga before Justice Agatha Okeke of the Federal High Court, sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Ibanga, who specialised in romance scam, began his journey to jail on July 5, 2018, when the Commission received a petition from one Rosemary Monday Etim, alleging that she was defrauded by the defendant.
Investigations into the matter showed that the defendant had, on two occasions, accessed the victim’s bank account and diverted N110, 000.00 (One hundred and ten thousand naira) into his personal account, without her consent.
The petitioner said she realised that she had been duped when she accessed her account and discovered that the balance was below what she had left in the account. The victim said she requested a bank statement which clearly showed the defendant as the recipient of the money that was fraudulently removed from her account.
Ibanga was subsequently arrested on January 31, 2019, and arraigned on February 8, 2019. He pleaded “not guilty”, as his trial immediately commenced with the prosecution counsel, Nwandu Ukoha, presenting two witnesses and tendering various documents which were admitted in evidence, including a bank account statement, belonging to the victim.
The prosecution closed its case on February 12, 2020.
Delivering judgment, the court held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Ibanga on the four counts.
He was sentenced to five years imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently from the date of his arrest.
