Internet Fraud: Final Year Student, 3 Others Jailed

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin zonal yesterday secured the conviction of a final-year student and three others for offences bordering on internet fraud.

Olaitan Damilare, a 25-year-old Higher National Diploma (HND) student at a polytechnic in Kwara State, was sentenced to six months imprisonment by Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

He was convicted alongside Maruf Kolawole, Habeeb Jimoh, and Mubarak Moruf.
While Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Olaitan, Maruf, and Habeeb, Justice Sulaiman Akanbi of another division of the Kwara State High Court handed down Mubarak’s conviction.

The convicts were prosecuted on separate charges of cheating by personation and obtaining under false pretences, offences that violate Sections 321 and 324 of the Penal Code.

The charge against Olaitan reads: “That you, Olaitan AbdulWahab Damilare (a.k.a fav)., sometimes in January, 2024 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dishonestly induced one Michael, a white man to send you gift cards worth the sum of Two Thousand, One Hundred Dollars when you knowingly pretended and presented yourself to be fav, a white lady who is in a romantic relationship with him and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 321 and punishable under section 324 of the penal code laws of northern Nigeria”

The charge against Maruf reads: “That you, Maruf Quadri Koawole, Sometime in February 2025, in Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one Frank Matt via Facebook, and in that guise, induced Philip Solomon to send 950 Australian dollars to you, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 324 of the same Law.”

The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges.

Upon their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Aliyu Adebayo and Mustapha Kaigama, reviewed the facts of the cases through witnesses who are operatives of the Commission.

They tendered the defendants’ extra-judicial statements, exhibits recovered from them at the point of arrest, and various amounts of money, which they brought as restitution and admitted in evidence.
Following the unchallenged evidence, the judges found the defendants guilty and handed down sentences accordingly.

In his judgment, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Olaitan to six months imprisonment at the Nigerian Correctional Service in Ilorin and ordered that the sum of $2000, which he benefited from the proceeds of his unlawful activities, one iPhone XR and one Samsung phone be forfeited to the federal government of Nigeria.

The judge sentenced Maruf to six months in Prison and ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 13 Pro and $950 to the federal government.

Habeeb was also sentenced to six months imprisonment, with a forfeiture order on his iPhone 14 Pro Max, one HP laptop, and $365.

In a separate ruling, Justice Akanbi sentenced Mubarak to one year imprisonment or a fine of N400,000 and ordered the final forfeiture of his iPhone 15 Promax, iPhone 7, and $300.