The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction and sentence of 30 internet fraudsters before Justices Ladiran Akintola, Adebisi Adetujoye, and K.B. Olawoyin of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan.
The convicts are Gbadega Ayomide, Ojo Oluwapelumi Oluwatomiwa, John Odey Ade, Ezekiel Oluwatobi Damilare, Usman Olamilekan Hammed, Ogunjobi Oluwafemi Oluwadunsin, Abdulrauf Taiwo Adekunmi, Ariyo Adejuwon Iyanu, Ahmed Ridwan Tajudeen, Ayomide Adedara, Oyewale Opeyemi Kayode, Charles Nneji, Obaoye Testimony Isaac, Olisemeka Tochukwu Anakweze, Ojo Opeyemi Makanjuola and Taiwo Kayode Goodness.
Others are Bolarinwa Usman Gbolahan, Olawuni Gbenga Samuel, Segun Michael Balogun, Charles Ifeoluwa Olayode, Sule Taofeek Rotimi, Sodade Oludotun Tolulope, Adeyemo Waris Olabode, Akinnawonu Bidemi Raphel, Ayanda Samuel Oluwaseyi, Adeniyi Oluwasola Oluwatosin, Olorunosebi Toyyib Alabi, Okorie Ifeanyi Favour, Akande Opeyemi Babatunde and Siyanbola Oluwaseun Ibrahim.
They were prosecuted on separate one-count charges that bordered on impersonation, obtaining by false pretense, retention of proceeds of crime, and possession of fraudulent documents.
The charge against Ibrahim reads: “That you, Siyanbola Oluwaseun Ibrahim “M” sometime in June 2022 at Ibadan, Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud one Austin Frazier via Facebook messenger did falsely represent yourself as Vivian Harding, a female from Chicago, United State of America, which representation you knew to be false, thereby committed the offence of personation, contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 30, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
All the defendants pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Sanusi Galadanchi, Lanre Suleiman, Mabas Mabur, Shamsuddeen Bashir, David Olubode and A.M. Aliyu to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced Oluwatosin to one-year imprisonment or to pay a fine N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), Oluwaseyi to six months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira), Raphael to three months jail term or to pay a fine of N50, 000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira).
Justice Akintola also convicted and sentenced Favour, Olabode, Tolulope, Gbolahan, Goodness, Makanjuola, Nneji and Isaac to six months of community service each or to pay N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine, each.
Others convicted and sentenced by Justice Akintola are Ibrahim, Alabi and Babatunde who bagged three months of community service each or to pay N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) fine, each.
Justice Olawoyin on her part convicted and slammed Ayomide, Oluwatomiwa, Ade, Balogun, Olayode, and Rotimi with one-year imprisonment each or to pay a fine of N50, 000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira), N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira), N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira), N200, 000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira), N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and N200, 000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) respectively.
Also convicted and sentenced by Justice Olawoyin is Samuel who got six months jail term or pay a fine of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira).
Justice Adetujoye convicted and sentenced Damilare, Hammed, Oluwadunsin, Adekunmi, Iyanu, Kayode, and Anakweze to two months of community service each. Adedara bagged one month of community service. Their sentences are without an option of fine.
Though Justice Adetojoye convicted Tajudeen, he cautioned and discharged him.
Besides their sentences, all the convicts forfeited items recovered from them including money, phones, and a Lexus 350 car with registration number: FKJ – 320 – HW recovered from Anakweze to the federal government. In addition, Anakweze was ordered by the court to make a restitution of N8,731,000.00 (Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty-one Thousand Naira) to his victim.
(EFCC)
