From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of five persons charged with internet fraud-related offences before Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar and Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.
They are Quadri Musibau Olamilekan from Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; John Adamson Oladele from Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State; Abiola Gbolahan Abiodun from Sapati-Ile, Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State; Orimadegun Ishola from Lagos State and Kayode Aderemi Awolola from Inisha, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State.
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 (Six Million Five Hundred and Five Thousand Naira Only) 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”
Equally, 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 (Five Hundred and Sixty Canadian Dollars) 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 Commission narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants tendered the extrajudicial 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 twelve months imprisonment, which would be suspended and ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s two phones and the sum of $800 (Eight Hundred United States Dollars) to the Federal Government.
In the same vein, the court sentenced John to 6 months imprisonment with the option of a fine of N350,000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) and ordered that the sum of $250 (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) and one iphone 12 belonging to the convict be forfeited to the federal government.
Justice Abdulgafar equally sentenced Abiola to twelve months imprisonment, which would be suspended and ordered the forfeiture of one iphone 7 belonging to the convict and the sum of N210,000 (Two Hundred and Ten Thousand Naira Only) to the Federal Government.
The judge also sentenced Orimadegun to six months imprisonment with an option of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) and ordered that the convict’s iphone 12 and the sum of $400 (Four Hundred United States Dollars) be forfeited to the Federal Government
On the other hand, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Kayode to six months imprisonment with the option of a fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only) and ordered the forfeiture of the convict’s iphone 13, one Dell Laptop and the sum of $40 (Forty United States Dollars) to the Federal Government.