Thursday,
October 17, 2024 -As many as six persons have been sent to
prison for internet fraud by two courts in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
The Ilorin
Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on
Monday, October 14, 2024 secured the conviction of the six persons before
Justices Sulaiman Akanbi and Adebayo Yusuf of the Kwara State High Court
sitting in Ilorin.
The
convicts are Idris Muhammed, Ismail Temitope Mustapha, Oyekola Odunayo, Anthony
Slyvester Stephen, Timilehin Adeniyi and Olayiwola Ayomide Abdulmalik.Justice
Akanbi jailed Idris, Ismail, Oyekola and Anthony, while the duo of Timilehin
and Olayiwola were convicted by Justice Yusuf.
The charge
against Idris reads, “That you, IDRIS MUHAMMED on or about the 13th day
of July 2024 to 13th of August 2024 in Ilorin within the Jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Dorthy
Onanewlevel Palmer and fraudulently deceived one Lavergne Adriana Racheal to
send $600 (Six Hundred Dollars) to you via cash app and thereby committed an
offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section
324 of the Penal Code.”
On the
part of Ismail, the charge sheet reads, “That you, Ismail Temitope Mustapha (Alias:
Myre Roddy) sometime between the year 2022 and 2023 within the Judicial
division of the High Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be
one Myre Roddy vide Tik Tok account @roddy0s3 and induced one Ron Woldron to
part with the gross sum of $500 (Five Hundred Dollars) vide apple gift cards;
and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and
punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code.”
The
defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, and upon their pleas,
prosecution counsels, Andrew Akoja and Victoria Igodo tendered the statements
of the defendants, items recovered from them at the point of arrest and monies
that they benefited from the illegal activities, which the court admitted in
evidence.
Consequently,
Justice Akanbi sentenced Idris to two years imprisonment with an option of
N100,000 fine and ordered the forfeiture of his iphone 13, and the sum of $300
US dollars which he raised as restitution to the Federal Government.
The court
sentenced Ismail to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N100,000
and ordered the forfeiture of his iphone 11 promax and $300USD to the Federal
Government.
Oyekola
also bagged one year imprisonment on count one with an option of N100,000, two
years imprisonment on count two with an option of N200,000 and two weeks
community service on count three and a fine of N50,000.
The trial
judge also ordered that the sum of $300 and N34,900 recovered from him be
forfeited to the Federal government.
Similarly,
the court sentenced Anthony to one year imprisonment with an option of N50,000
fine and ordered that the iphone 12 and the sum of $25 US dollars which he
benefited from the unlawful activities be forfeited to the Federal Government.
In a
similar development, Justice Yusuf sentenced the duo of Timilehin and Olayiwola
to six months imprisonment with an option of N200,000 fine each.
The
convicts’ phones and the monies they brought as restitution were forfeited to
the Federal Government, according to a statement by the Head, Media and
Publicity of the commission, Dele Oyewale on Wednesday.
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