Courts jail 59 internet fraudsters in Oyo, Ogun, Osun

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan Zonal Directorate, on Thursday, said it had secured the conviction and sentence of 59 internet fraudsters to various jail terms before five state High Court Judges and a Federal High Court Judge.

A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said the convicts were Adekola Bidemi; Raheem Olalekan; Nduneri Precious; Adekola Iyanuoluwa; Adegoke Olalekan; Akintade Temitayo; Olaolu Olamide; Akanni Anuoluwapo; Omogbolahan Joseph; Adedimeji Ojo; Jamal Hamzat; Ajana Oluwapelumi; Jamiu Abayomi; Isaac Moses, Bamidele Williams; Olafisoye Opeyemi; Alex Precious; Olajide Emmanuel; Folayan Oluwajuwon; Kolade Olaseinde; Eniola Lazeez; Ayeni Charles; Owoyemi Abidemi and Hammed Yakubu.

Others include, Sunmonu Olabanji; Michael Seyi; Adebayo Benedict; Afeez Abdulwahab; Azeez Akinremi; Ariku Olawande; Fapetu Temitope; Owoyemi Ayobami; Adekunle Micheal; Idowu Victor; Olaoluwa Kehinde; Olawale Boluwatife; Oreoluwa Oladipo; Ayomide Owoshakin; Aare Olanrewaju; Waheed Olamilekan; Oluwatunbosun Fafore; Alamu Dolapo and Ridwan Onifade.

The rest were Osifeso David; Ogunrinde Oluwaseun; Ogunrinde Ebenezer; Ayoola Gaffar; Sodiq Olumide; Adegoke Oluwaseun; Adebayo Sunday; Olabode Opeyemi; Alade Matthew; Folaranmi Martins; Akinola Bolarinwa; Abimbola Olajide; Adekunle Ayomide; Akinyemi Opeyemi; Job Innocent and Okoro Uzoma.

Oyewale said they were prosecuted on one-count separate charges bordering on impersonation, cheating, possession of fraudulent documents and obtaining by false pretence.

The charge against Uzoma said, “That you, Uzoma sometime in February 2023, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated by representing yourself to be a female as Cory Spencer Smith from the United States of America to one Collette, by creating a fake Facebook account with intent to gain an advantage for yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i)  and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) (Amended) Act, 2024.”

The charge preferred against Bidemi said, “That you, Bidemi on or about April 2024, at Ede, Osun State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to gain advantage for yourself did impersonate one Mary Kate, the pretext you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) (i) and punishable under Section 22 (2) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) (Amended) Act, 2024.”

The EFCC head of media and publicity stressed that they all pleaded guilty to their charges when they were read to them, upon which prosecution counsel, Oluwatoyin Owodunni; Modupe Akinkoye; Oyelakin Oyediran; Sanusi Galadanchi; Lanre Suleiman; Mabas Mabur; Shamsuddeen; Umar Abiso; Abiddeen Muhammad; Adamu Sahabi; Fatima Baba; David Olubode and Favour Adewunmi prayed the courts to convict and sentence them accordingly.

Justice M. Salisu of the Osun State High Court, sitting in Osogbo convicted and sentenced Temitayo and Olamide to one-year imprisonment each or to pay a fine of N1,000,000.00 each, while Temitayo forfeited one grey Toyota Camry 2007 Model car while Olamide forfeited N1, 450, 000.00 and a grey colour Toyota Camry 2011 Model car.

Also, he convicted and sentenced Akinsola Iyanuoluwa, Tomiwa Olalekan and Toheeb Olalekan to one-year imprisonment each or a fine of N500,000.00 each, Williams and Mayowa Precious to a one-year jail term each or to pay a fine of N400,000.00 each, while Joseph, Ojo, Bidemi, Abayomi and Moses bagged eight months jail term each or to pay a fine of N400,000.00, N500, 000.00, N400, 000.00, N500, 000.00 and N700, 000.00, respectively. Moses forfeited one black- coloured unregistered Lexus GS 350 to the government.

Justice Salisu also convicted and sentenced Opeyemi to seven months imprisonment or to a fine of N400,000.00 while Kelvin Precious, Anuoluwapo, Hamzat and Uzoma bagged six months jail term each or to pay a fine of N300,000.00 each. Oluwapelumi was sentenced to three months imprisonment or a fine of N300,000.00.

Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Osun State High Court, sitting in Osogbo convicted and sentenced Oluwajuwon, Olaseinde, Lazeez, Charles, Abidemi, Yakubu, Olabanji, Seyi, Benedict, Abdulwahab, Olawande, Daniel Temitope, Ayobami and Toluwanimi Micheal to six months imprisonment each.

They were however, given option of N200, 000.00, N250, 000.00, N500, 000.00, N300, 000.00, N500, 000.00, N300, 000.00, N200, 000.00, N250, 000.00, N500, 000.00, N250, 000.00, N500, 000.00, N500, 000.00, N300, 000.00 and N300, 000.00, respectively.

Daniel Temitope forfeited a grey-coloured Toyota Camry car,  Benedict; one blue-coloured Lexus ES 350 car and Lazeez; one grey-coloured Toyota Camry 2006 Model vehicle.

Also, he convicted and sentenced Deji Emmanuel, Akinremi and Innocent to three months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N100,000. 00, N250, 000.00 and N200, 000.00, respectively.

Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan convicted and sentenced Onifade to one-year imprisonment or to pay a fine of N100,000.00 and forfeited a grey-coloured Toyota Rav4 Sports Utility Vehicle while Owoshakin bagged six months jail term or a fine N100,000.00.

Also, he convicted and sentenced Ayomide to six months community service or a fine of N100,000.00, Fafore and Dolapo to six months community service each or to pay a fine of N40,000.00 each and David to six months community service or to a fine of N50,000.00.

Justice Akintola also convicted and sentenced Boluwatife, Sodiq Olanrewaju, Bolarinwa, Olajide and Oluwaseun to three months of community service each or to pay a fine of N30,000.00 each, and Olalekan Opeyemi to three months community service or a fine of N50,000.00, while Oladipo and Ebenezer bagged three months jail term each or N25, 000.00 each.

Also, he convicted Abeeb Olamilekan and Martins and sentenced them to pay a fine of N20,000.00 each.

Justice Bayo Taiwo of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan convicted and sentenced Idowu Oluwaseun to five months of community service, Olumide, Sunday and Kehinde Matthew to four months of community service each without an option of fine. Also, Samson Opeyemi bagged two months of community service.

Justice U.E. Akpan of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State convicted and sentenced Mayowa Victor to one-year imprisonment or a fine of N500,000.00 and Ejisun Kehinde to six months imprisonment or to pay a fine of N300,000.00.

Justice A.A. Okeke of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta convicted and sentenced Gaffar to one-month imprisonment without an option of fine.

The convicts forfeited all items recovered from them to the Federal Government.

All the convicts began their way to the Correctional Centres when they were arrested for internet-related offences. They were charged to court and convicted.