The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has convicted and sentenced 15 Internet fraudsters to various jail terms in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The suspects, as indicated in a statement provided to newsmen by the Head of Media and Publicity at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale, were arraigned before Justices Olusola Adetujoye, O.A. Lajide, and S.O. Adeyemi, respectively.
They were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges upon their arraignment by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) between January 22 and February 5, 2024. One of the convicts, Adebola Sheriff, was docked and convicted on five-count charges.
The other convicts are: Adebayo Ifeoluwa Timilehin, Philip Daniel, Ifemadi Haruna Segun, Okeola Olajide James Bolanle, Akinjisola Ayodeji Francis, Giwa Usman Dolapo, Olorunsola Sodiq Babatunde, Fatolu Moses Opeyemi, Bashiru Sodiq Omobolaji, Omowaye Oluwatosin Olamilekan, Badmus Yusuf Omobolaji, Lateef Ramon Olamilekan, Idowu Michael Oluwasegun, and Okunola Samuel Olalekan.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Okunola Samuel Olalekan, on or about the 9th of April 2023, at Ibadan, Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with the intention to defraud Older One through the Google Chat Account: [email protected], did falsely represent yourself to be Joy Ella, a female from the United States of America, thereby committing the offense of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
Upon their arraignment, the convicts pleaded “guilty” when the charges were read to them. Consequently, the facts of the cases were reviewed, and incriminating documents were tendered in evidence before the courts. Following this, the prosecuting counsels urged the courts to convict and sentence them accordingly.
After listening to all the counsels, the judges convicted and sentenced Yusuf, Sodiq, and Olamilekan to six months of community service each, while Timilehin, Daniel, Segun, Bolanle, Ramon, Oluwasegun, Sheriff, and Olalekan received one month of community service each.
Opeyemi, Babatunde, Dolapo, and Francis were handed two weeks of community service each.
Yusuf was ordered to pay a fine of N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) in addition to his sentence, while Olamilekan was ordered to pay the sum of N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira), and Sodiq to pay N170,000.00 (One Hundred and Seventy Thousand Naira) in addition to their sentences.
All the convicts were ordered to make restitution to their various victims and forfeited all items recovered from them to the federal government.
In a related development, the Oyo State Police Command has arrested and handed over to the Ibadan Zonal Command of the EFCC twin brothers, Abdulrauf Taiwo and Abdulrauf Kehinde, for alleged internet fraud activities alongside five others comprising Adeyemi Samuel, Alabi Ayomide, Yekini Faroug, Hassan Olamilekan, and Ibrahim Olawale.
Items recovered from the suspects include seven phones, among others.
