By Deborah Nnamdi
Justices P. I. Ajoku and S. D. Pam of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt have sentenced three internet fraudsters to 30 months’ imprisonment for impersonation and obtaining money under pretenses.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a statement released Wednesday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, identified the convicts as Rex Akah Kinikachi Kelvin, Kennedy Chinedu Eleyi-Waltar, and Chris Orji.
The trio was arrested during a sting operation carried out by EFCC operatives in March 2025 at different locations across Port Harcourt. They were arraigned separately by the EFCC’s Port Harcourt Zonal Command on charges related to internet fraud and deceitful financial dealings.
“They were convicted and sentenced on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, after pleading guilty to individual charges of impersonation and obtaining money under pretense,” the statement noted.
One of the charges revealed that Kelvin, in February 2024, defrauded a victim, Denise D. Moore, of $500 via Telegram by posing as a U.S.-based fashion model. His actions violated the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Following their guilty pleas, EFCC prosecutors H. O. Nweze, N. A. Dodo, and M. Abubakar presented evidence which the court admitted. Defense lawyers Eugene, S. A. Kyenge, and B. E. Onuoha asked the court to show leniency, noting the defendants were first-time offenders with no criminal history.
The court sentenced each defendant to 30 months in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, with an option to pay a fine of N200,000 to the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Account.
Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of several items recovered during the arrest—including a Toyota Highlander SUV, multiple iPhones, and Samsung devices—to the Federal Government. The convicts are also required to swear an affidavit of good behavior.
The EFCC confirmed the arrests stemmed from a targeted sting operation aimed at cracking down on internet-related fraud in Rivers State.
