The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Kaduna Zonal Command has won the conviction of one Oluwayemisi Samuel and her son, Joshua Samuel, for false information before Justice A.A Bello of the Kaduna State High Court.

The agency announced this in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.

According to the statement, Oluwayemisi and her son spent N5.6 million on sports betting and submitted a bogus petition to the agency claiming that the money was fraudulently removed from their account and transferred to a sports betting account without their knowledge.

The separate counts read, “That you, Oluwayemisi Samuel (F) and Hezekiah Samuel (now at large) sometime in March, 2023 in Kaduna State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, committed an offence to wit; wilfully gave false information to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which information was used to carry out investigation on your complaint to the Commission, which information you knew to false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act.

“That you, Joshua Samuel (M) and Hezekiah Samuel ( now at large) sometime in March, 2023 in Kaduna State within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, committed an offence to wit; wilfully gave false information to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which information was used to carry out investigation on your complaint to the Commission, which information you knew to false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act”.

They entered pleas of guilty to the charges. However, Justice Bello convicted and sentenced both offenders to seven years in jail, with the option of a N150,000 fine.