The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has achieved a significant milestone with the conviction and sentencing of 25 individuals involved in internet fraud.

The verdicts were delivered by seven different judges across Federal and State High Courts in Ibadan, Oyo State, and Osogbo, Osun State.

According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media & Publicity for the EFCC, the convicted individuals include Tomiwa Olumide Ayodele, Adeniyi Kehinde Nuhu, Adeniyi Warris Adegbola, Toyeeb Abayomi Ijadunola, Isiah Akinyele Kehinde, Oluwadunsin Johnson Alabi, Muis Lawal Gbolahan, Adeyinka Kola Adeleye, Sodiq Iyanu Babatunde, Ojo Blessing Adeniyi, Akinrinwoye Victor Olamide, Olaloye Olanrewaju Kinsley, Daniel Olashile Maiye, Omolade Opeyemi Oluwaseyi, Olamide Adekunle Adeoye, Kazeem Makinde Olawale, Malik Olamilekan Ayoade, Emmanuel Ayomide Ojubanire, Dada Bamidele John, Henry Ogochukwu Ikeh, Faruq Omoleye Adeola, Oluyole Ayobami Emmanuel, Ayodele Micheal Damilola, Adaramoye Abayomi, and Yussuf Quadri Abiodun.

They faced charges ranging from impersonation to possession of fraudulent documents, and obtaining money under false pretenses. All the defendants pleaded guilty to their charges, leading to their conviction.

Justice M. Salisu of the Osun State High Court in Osogbo sentenced Ayodele, Nuhu, Adegbola, and Ijadunola to one-year imprisonment each or a fine of N1 million each. Notably, Nuhu forfeited a Toyota Camry car and was ordered to restitute N415,000 to his victim, while Ijadunola forfeited a Toyota Camry and was ordered to restitute N2.5 million.

In separate rulings, Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan sentenced Gbolahan, Adeleye, and Babatunde to three months of community service each or a fine of N30,000 each. Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Osun State High Court in Osogbo handed down six-month jail terms to Adeniyi, Olamide, and Kinsley, with fines ranging from N300,000 to N500,000.

Additionally, Justice E.U. Akpan of the Federal High Court in Ibadan sentenced Emmanuel and Damilola to one-year imprisonment each or a fine of N150,000 each. The convicted individuals forfeited all seized items to the federal government following their arrests in coordinated operations across Akure, Ondo State, and Ede, Osun State.

The post Courts Sentence 25 Internet Fraudsters in Oyo, Osogbo {See Photos} first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

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They were jailed between January 8 and 28, 2024 after being arraigned before Justice Olusola Adetujoye of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, and Justice A.A. Babawale of the Ogun State High Court, sitting in Abeokuta on a separate lone count charge each.

The convicts are Akinbode Abiodun, Samad Tijani Owolabi, Ademola Olabamiji Quadri, Evewiekpoamare Tivere Jackson, Adeagbo Stephen Adegbenro, Adesanya Olamilekan Dare, Yusuf Saka Olaoluwatobi, Akinbode Adedolapo Joshua, Musa Ayinde Olorunnisola and Lawal Mohammed Segun.

Others are Moses Bitrus Bugama, Odude Kehinde Ayomipo, Bashiru Quadri Adeyinka, Ochoche Silas Ochola, Nurudeen Olamilekan Quam, Afeez Adewale Jimoh and Olowookere Ademola Sobbur.

Contained in a statement by the commission’s Head,  Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, one of the charges read: “That you Adesanya Olamilekan Dare ‘M’ on or about 24th May 2023, at Ibadan, Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, fraudulently impersonated by representing yourself to be a white man by the name Daryl Huffman from United States of America to one Angie Shepard, through your Facebook account with email address: daryhuffman1960@gmail.com, and other pretences, which pretences you knew to be false, thereby committed offence of personation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”

They all pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to them.

Consequently, facts of the cases were reviewed by the prosecution counsels as indicting documents, and other incriminating materials were tendered as shreds of evidence before the courts.  Prosecution counsels further prayed to the courts to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Upon the prayers of the prosecution counsels, Justice Babawale convicted and sentenced Sobbur to one-year imprisonment without an option of fine.  Also, Justice Adetujoye convicted and sentenced Olorunnisola to two months imprisonment; and Jimoh, Quam, Ochola, Adeyinka, Ayomipo, Bugama, Segun, and Olaoluwatobi to one month jail term each.

Furthermore, Joshua, Dare, Adegbenro, and Abiodun were convicted and sentenced to two weeks imprisonment each without an option of fine while Owolabi, Quadri, and Jackson bagged two weeks of community service each.

The courts also ordered that the convicts restitute their various victims, including Owolabi who is to pay the sum of N11, 749, 823.36 (Eleven Million, Seven Hundred and Forty-nine Thousand, Eight Hundred and Twenty-three Naira, Thirty-six Kobo) as restitution.

Items forfeited by the convicts to the Federal Government of Nigeria included one gold colour Lexus ES 330 with Registration number: FKG 184 HZ, one unregistered silver colour Toyota Corolla 2006 model, one black colour Honda Pilot 2004 model with registration number: LSR 783 HW and Chassis number: 2HKYF18464H598117 and one black Lexus ES 300 2002 model with registration number: APP 27 GT with chassis number: JTHBF30G020048119 among others.

All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC for internet-related activities.  They were thereafter charged to court and convicted.

In a related development, the Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force handed over four suspected internet fraudsters to the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC on January 26, 2024.

The suspects are Abiodun Ajayi, Salako Saheed, Qudus Owolabi, and Abiodun Ridwan.

They were arrested in Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State following actionable intelligence on suspected fraudulent internet-related activities.

Items recovered from them include one unregistered Toyota Camry, one gold colour Toyota Camry with Registration number: APP 192 CB, two laptops, and five mobile phones among others.

They would be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded.

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Their arrest, according to the Commission was triggered by intelligence reports detailing their alleged involvement in internet fraud and other related offences.

The suspects included, Kayode Adeoye, Ogunleye Yemi, Adio Taheed, Olaniyi Joshua, AbdulAfeez Kehinde.

Others are: Bakare Omolayo, Adesuntola Adebayo, Ridwan Gbolahan, Abdulfatai Waliu, Olayiwola Olamilekan, Raji Wasiu, Olawale Ibrahim and Tajudeen Mojeed.

EFCC also confirmed that four  cars, Phones, Laptops and other incriminating documents used in perpetrating the crime were recovered from them.

It added that the  suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

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In a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the anti-graft agency explained that the suspects were arrested in their hideout by EFCC operatives from the Abuja and Enugu zonal offices.

Laptop computers, mobile phones, two Lexus SUVs and a Toyota salon car, were among the items said to have been recovered from them.

The arrest comes barely a day after the EFCC announced the arrest of a cybercrime syndicate which specialises in business email compromise in benin city, the Edo state capital.

They were said to have confessed to searching for victims’ email addresses, creating a phishing link and compromising the process in order to defraud them.

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