- Safiu Kehinde
Kwara State High Court has sentenced six convicted internet fraudsters to separate jail terms in Ilorin.
This was disclosed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a statement issued on its official X handle on Saturday.
The Commission had arraigned the six persons before Justices Haleema Saleeman and Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin where they were convicted and sentenced to jail for fraud.
The convicts were identified as, Akingbehin Temitope Oluwaseyi, Ajayi Elijah Olaoluwa, Samsom Babatunde Ilesanmi, Quadri Olamilekan Lamidi, Kolawole Kehinde Moses and Olatunji Elija Olabisi.
According to the statement, they were prosecuted by the EFCC’s Ilorin Zonal Directorate on multiple charges that bordered on retention of proceeds of criminal activities, cheating, impersonation and internet fraud.
Oluwaseyi, a 25-year-old car dealer, Olaoluwa, Ilesanmi and Lamidi were dragged before Justice Saleeman while the duo of Moses and Olabisi were prosecuted before Justice Abdulgafar.
The charge against Oluwaseyi reads: “That you, Akingbehin Temitope Oluwaseyi, sometime between 2021 and 2024 at Offa, within the judicial division of the Kwara State High Court, did retain the control of the gross sum of N2,707,562 (Two Million, Seven Hundred and Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixty-Two Naira) in your Opay account number 09064776590 being the sum paid to you which you knew to be proceed of criminal conduct, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 17(a) and (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004”
That of Ilesanmi reads: “That you, Samson Babatunde Ilesanmi (a.k.a Angela Sara Maya) sometimes in 2023 within the judicial division of the Kwara State High Court did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one Angela Sara Maya vide Facebook messenger account and induced one Larry Guerrero to part with the sum of $250 (Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars) thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.”
The defendants all pleaded “guilty” to the charges when they were read to them, following which prosecution counsel, Sesan Ola and Andrew Akoja reviewed the facts of the cases, presented witnesses and tendered the extra-judicial statements of the defendants.
The Prosecution Counsel also tendered in evidence items recovered from the defendants at the point of arrest and the monetary proceeds of their unlawful activities.
Satisfied that the cases against them have been proven beyond every reasonable doubt, Justice Saleeman sentenced Oluwaseyi to one year imprisonment on Count One or to pay a fine of N1 million and also a one year imprisonment on Count Two or to pay a fine of N707,562.
In addition, he forfeited his two phones, being the tools of his crime and a Toyota Camry car, 2009 Model to the federal government.
On the other hand, the judge committed Olaoluwa to one year imprisonment or to pay a fine of N500,000.
He also forfeited his iPhone 13 Promax, being the tool of his unlawful activities and the sum of $410 to the federal government.
The judge handed four months prison term to Ilesanmi or to pay a fine of N250,000.
In addition, he forfeited the sum of $150 and his two phones, being the tool of his crime to the federal government.
Lamidi got four months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N150,000 on Count One; three months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N100,000 on Count Two and two months prison term or to pay a fine of N50,000 on Count Three with the sentences slated to run concurrently.
In addition, he forfeited the sum of €325, $150 Canadian dollars and the two phones being instruments of his crime to the federal government.