The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has handed down a seven-year prison sentence to Abraham Walson for his involvement in employment fraud.
Walson was brought before Justice U.N. Amogoh by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on nine counts of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretenses.
These charges are in violation of Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and are punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same act.
According to a statement from EFCC Spokesperson Dele Oyewale, one of the charges against Walson states that he, along with Marcus Udo Ifon (who is currently at large), obtained the sum of N1,300,000 from Apostle Emmanuel Tom Ebitu in February 2011.
They claimed that the money would be used for the training of members of Ebitu’s congregation and their job offer with Saipem Nigeria Ltd.
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However, this was a false pretense, and Walson knew it to be so. This charge is in violation of Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same act.
Another count against Walson, along with Marcus Udo Ifon (at large) and Glory Eneyo Etifit (at large), states that they obtained the sum of N181,700 from Oboho John Ewa in February 2011.
They falsely claimed that the money would be used for training and a job offer with Saipem Nigeria Ltd. Once again, this was a pretext that Walson knew to be false.
This charge is also in violation of Section 1 (1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same act.
When Walson was arraigned and the charges were read to him, he pleaded “not guilty.” However, based on the evidence presented, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to seven years in prison for his involvement in employment fraud.
This case serves as a reminder of the consequences individuals face when engaging in fraudulent activities that deceive and exploit others for personal gain.
