Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday convicted three more internet fraudsters who were apprehended at a hotel within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Ogun State.
Justice Dipeolu, the vacation judge, jailed the convicts after they pleaded guilty to separate charges of false pretence, identity theft, and obtaining money under false pretences brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, a vacation judge in the Federal High Court, Lagos, delivered the verdict on Monday after the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
However, the judge gave the convicts Adewale Adenekan, Oyatokun Qudus, and Adisa Okikiade the option of a fine instead of prison sentences.
After pleading guilty, Adenekan told the court that he had already paid his victim N200,000 as restitution.
While the EFCC prosecutor, John Yob, tendered an iPhone 14 Pro Max as evidence, the defence counsels accepted it without objection.
Yobo had alleged that the convict fraudulently impersonated a white woman from the United States of America on his Google account: 19374@gmail, with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu sentenced Adenekan to one month of imprisonment, with an option of a N300,000 fine.
In similar circumstances, the court sentenced Qudus to one month in prison with the same acceptable option after pleading guilty to a one-count fraud charge.
The EFCC had claimed that Qudus fraudulently represented himself on Instagram as Eric Melissa, a white female, with the intent to gain an advantage for yourself, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
For his part, Okikiade received the same jail term and an acceptable option after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of obtaining money under false pretences.
The anti-graft agency had accused him of fraudulently posing as Anthony Krennoffencegle, to gain an advantage for himself, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
