Reports that an underage Internet fraudster was found guilty and sentenced by Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on July 21, 2023, have been refuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC.
According to a statement made public by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Odeh, a 19-year-old, was one of five undergraduates found guilty and given two-year prison sentences. Social media reports claimed that Odeh was just seven years old and that his conviction was unjustified.
The statement from EFCC denying this claim reads in part: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some insinuation and contrived accounts of the conviction of an internet fraudster, Victor Oche Odeh, by Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court on July 21, 2023.
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“Odeh, 19, was among five undergraduates convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment each, after pleading guilty to a one-count separate charge bordering on internet fraud. The other convicts are: Chidebere Stanley Opara (a.k.a. Avail Hollywood), Manasseh Sefa Ephraim (a.k.a. Felicia_dannyyels), Chukwukere Obinna Paul (a.k.a. Shaun Lee) and Enyogu Etim Ekpo (a.k.a. Henry Wilson, Jasdav7).
“In a Press Release of the EFCC, dated July 11, 2023, the ages of all the convicts, including Odeh’s, were not stated. For the purpose of clarity, Odeh is 19 years old. All the false narratives being bandied about in some section of the social media that he is seven years old should be ignored. The EFCC did not “parade” the convict, and is not a court of law that rightfully convicted him.
“Facts are sacred. Information about the offence, prosecution, conviction and sentence of Odeh is on all social media platforms of the EFCC. The public is enjoined to ignore any hoopla connected to his conviction.”