Abuja Court Sends Fake American Soldier To Jail

Abuja Court Sends Fake American Soldier To Jail

Justice Danlami Senchi of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High
Court, sitting in Jabi has sentenced one Enabulele Osazee Frank, who
posed as a United States Major Barnett Edward to 30 days in prison with
an option of N25,000 as fine.

Enabulele was among six suspected “yahoo yahoo boys” arrested in
Abuja, by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, on May 11, 2018 through a sting operation following intelligence
report on their activities.

He was arraigned on April 3, 2019 on an amended one-count charge bordering on attempt to cheat.

The count reads: “That you, Enabulele Osazee Frank (aka United States
Major Barnett Edward) sometime in 2018 in Abuja within the Abuja
Judicial Division of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, did
attempt to commit cheating and in such attempt posed to be United State
Major Barnett Edward, an American soldier deployed to Afghanistan on
peace keeping mission in a bid to fraudulently induce one Camela Johnson
to deliver the sum of $10,000 (Ten Thousand Dollars) on a
representation that the money is payment for cost of non-inspection of
certificate, a claim which you knew to be false and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code Law Cap 532 laws of
the Federation (1990) Abuja and punishable under the same section.”

He thereafter, pleaded “guilty” to the amended charge, based on a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution.

Prosecuting counsel, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, then prayed the court to sentence him accordingly.

Defence counsel, Providence Osimen, however pleaded with the court to
temper justice with mercy, noting that the defendant was still a young
man of 29 years old, and has shown remorse.

“He has never been convicted, and he is a graduate of public
administration from University of Abuja, his parents look up to him for
their wellbeing and he was just in the wrong place with the wrong
company at the wrong time,” he said.

In sentencing Enabulele, Justice Senchi considered the plea bargain
agreement, as well as the plea of his counsel, and gave him a fine of
N25,000, failure of which he is to spend the 30 days in prison.