The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has secured the conviction of two persons over offences bordering on internet fraud before Justice Adebayo Yusuf and Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin.
The convicts are Abubakar Habeeb and Oke Ibukun Oyebisi.
Abubakar was prosecuted before Justice Yusuf for breaching Section 319 (a) of Penal Code, while Oke was charged before Justice Akinpelu for contravening Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Upon their arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charge.
Sesan Ola and Andrew Akoja, who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the EFCC narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants and tendered their extra judicial statements as well as exhibits recovered from them at the point of arrest, which were admitted in evidence.
The EFCC lawyers thereafter urged the court to consider the ‘guilty plea’ by the defendants and the uncontroverted exhibits tendered to convict the defendants as charged.
In his judgement, Justice Yusuf sentenced Abubakar to six months imprisonment with option of N50,000 and ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s HP laptop recovered at the point of arrest to the federal government.
Similarly, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Oke to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N100,000. The judge also ordered that one iPhone XR and the sum of $250, which the convict benefited from the unlawful activities be forfeited to the federal government.