The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has discredited circulating reports asserting that Victor Odeh, convicted for internet fraud, is seven years old.
In an official statement shared on its verified social media handle, the EFCC clarified the age discrepancy surrounding Victor Odeh, affirming that he is 19 years old and not seven, as claimed in certain narratives.
The commission’s statement partly reads, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission 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.
“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).”
The EFCC further explained that in their previous release in July, they did not specify the ages of the convicts, including Odeh, leading to the need for this clarification.
The statement urged the public to disregard false narratives circulating on social media and emphasized that the EFCC neither showcased the convict nor holds the authority to convict individuals; rather, it’s the court of law that legally convicts individuals.
