The Ilorin zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of five persons charged for internet fraud before Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar and Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
The convicts are Quadri Olamilekan, John Oladele, Abiola Abiodun, Orimadegun Ishola and Kayode Awolola.
Particularly the charge against Quadri reads: “That you, Quadri Misbau Olamilekan, sometime between July, 2022 and May, 2022 or thereabout, in Ilorin, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did knowingly have under your control the sum of N6,505,000 in your Carbon Limited account with the name Quadri Olamilekan which is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishment under Section 319 (A) of the Penal Code Law.”
Details of the charge against John include:” That you, John Adamson Oladele, sometime between February and May, 2023 at Ilorin, within the judicial division of the High Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Eric Baines vide your google mail hangout account: [email protected] and induced one Sophia Dumoulim to part with the gross sum of 560 CAD through bitcoins and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code.”
The defendants, who were prosecuted on separate counts, pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Following their ‘guilty plea’, Aliyu Adebayo, Andrew Akoja and Isabel Adeniran who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the EFCC narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants and tendered the extra judicial statements and items recovered from the defendants at the point of arrest as exhibits, which were admitted in evidence.
The EFCC lawyers prayed the court to consider the uncontroverted evidence of the prosecution to hold that the essential ingredients of the crime had been established against the defendants to warrant their conviction.
The two justices in their verdict agreed with the prosecution and pronounced the defendants guilty.
Consequently, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Quadri to 12 months imprisonment, which would be suspended and ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s two phones and the sum of $800 to the federal government.
In the same vein, the court sentenced John to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N350,000 and ordered that the sum of $250 and one iphone 12 belonging to the convict be forfeited to the federal government.
Justice Abdulgafar equally sentenced Abiola to 12 months imprisonment, which would be suspended and ordered the forfeiture of one iphone 7 belonging to the convict and the sum of N210,000 to the federal government.
The judge also sentenced Orimadegun to six months imprisonment with option of N150,000 fine and ordered that the convict’s iphone 12 and the sum of $400 be forfeited to the Federal Government
On the other hand, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Kayode to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N100,000 and ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s iphone 13, one Dell Laptop and the sum of $40 to the federal government.
