The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan by Justices Ladiran Akintola, Bayo Taiwo and O.S. Adeyemi has sentenced two siblings, Samuel Adedeji Adeboye and Charles Adedamola Adeboye alongside 33 others to various jail terms for their involvement in internet fraud.
The convicts were dragged before the courts by the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate one-count charge each bordering on impersonation, obtaining by false pretence, retention of proceeds of crime and possession of fraudulent documents.
The anti-graft agency in a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) Friday evening, disclosed to securing the conviction of the internet fraudsters who all pleaded guilty to their charges.
Aside from the brothers, the other 33 convicts include Oluwadamilola Michael Omotayo, Boluwatife Ajewole Alaran, Michael Damilare Badaru, Oyewole Ismail Oluwatayo, Mudashiru Oluwatobi Oyebamiji, Ebuka Michael Oluwatobi, Azeez Hammed Ademola, Adelayi Adetunji Wellington and Isaac Ifeoluwapo Oke.
Others are Muraina Toheeb Adeola, Hammed Ismaheel Ayomide, Adedayo Opeyemi Ogundele, Ajose Oluwaseun Alaba, Bolarinwa Tobi Samuel, Alabi Ayomide, Omodayo Obatomiwa Adedayo, Asoro Taiwo Oluwafemi and Sebili Ibrahim Sunday, Seun Ebenezer Anjorin, Adewale festus Prosper, Adubi Oluwatimileyin Abiola and Lawal Qwwatullah Opeyemi.
The rest convicts include Jegede Boluwaji Victor, Waris Tomiwa Atanda, Adebayo Adeoye Okikiola, Opeyemi Uthman Adeleke, Michael Olalekan Akintola, Abdulazeez Taiwo Adisa, Ebuka Ogbonna Emmanuel, Augustine Chukwuka Okoh, Ayomide Temitope Adekunle, Edunjobi Toheeb Ayobami and Abdulganiyu Sakiru Adebayo.
The charge against Samuel Adedeji Adeboye reads: “That you Adeboye on or about the 8th day of June, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, falsely represented yourself as James Jonathan to Wendy Rose, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law of Oyo State, 2000.”
The charge against Charles Adedamola Adeboye reads: “That you, Charles Adedamola Adeboye sometime in July, 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, aided an internet fraudster, one Olowooye David (at large) by helping him and other internet fraudsters to receive funds, which form the proceed of obtaining money by false pretences, wherein you benefitted the total sum N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira), thereby committed an offence of aiding the commission of felony: obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Sections 7 (b) and 419 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 30, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
All the defendants pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Chidi Okoli, Sanusi Galadanchi, Lanre Suleiman, Shamsuddeen Bashir and Mabas Mabur to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced the Adeboye brothers to one year imprisonment each, with N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) option of fine for Adedeji and N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) for Adedamola.
