A Kano State High Court has convicted and sentenced Ebonine Rita Uzoamaka to seven years’ imprisonment for obtaining N5.6 million under false pretence.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Maryam Sabo of the Kano State High Court, according to a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on its official social media platform.

Uzoamaka was first arraigned on August 18, 2021, on a five-count charge bordering on dishonest misappropriation of funds amounting to N5,660,000.

The EFCC said she was arrested after allegedly collecting the sum from a victim under the guise of supplying D-Rich Baking Powder from Aba, Abia State. However, after receiving the money, she failed to deliver the goods as agreed and diverted the funds for personal use, prompting her prosecution.

One of the counts stated that on January 18, 2021, within Kano, she fraudulently obtained N2,000,000 from Ochayi Anthony Eneche, which was paid into her Access Bank account under the false claim that she had 500 cartons of D-Rich Baking Powder to sell—an assertion she knew to be untrue.

The offence contravenes Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

The defendant pleaded not guilty at arraignment, leading to a full trial. During the proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Salihu Sani, called four witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits, which were admitted as evidence to prove the charges. Uzoamaka testified as the sole witness in her defence.

In her judgment, Justice Sabo found the defendant guilty on all five counts and sentenced her to seven years in prison, with an option of a N500,000 fine.