The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction and sentencing of a 26-year-old forex trader, Kolawole Temidayo Joshua and two others for offences bordering on internet fraud.
The two others are Abdullahi Isiak and Daniel Roland Orji.
The trio were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charge bordering on internet fraud, consequent on their arraignment before Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High sitting in Ilorin.
The charge against Joshua reads: “That you, Kolawole Temidayo Joshua, sometime between April and May, 2023 at Ilorin within the Judicial Division of the High Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Mia Phillips vide your google voice account: denissefranptonphm85@gmail.com and induced one Daniel Murphy a.k.a Wagba Wealth and Danny, to part with gross sum of $400 (Four Hundred US Dollars) through Gift Cards and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code”.
The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective one-count charge when they were read to them.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, EFCC counsels; Muinat Bello and Isabel Adeniran, while reviewing the facts of the cases narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants. The counsels also tendered exhibits including phones, extra judicial statements and money which they brought as restitution by the defendants, which were admitted in evidence.
Justice Abdulgafar in his judgment found the defendants guilty and convicted them as charged. He sentenced Joshua to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only) and ordered that one iphone 12 and the sum of $200 (Two Hundred United States Dollars), which are proceeds of the crime, be forfeited to the federal government.
The court also sentenced Isiak to six months imprisonment, which is to be suspended and ordered that the iphone 12 promax used as instrument of crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Equally, Orji was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) only while an iphone 6 and the sum of $250 (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars), recovered from him, were forfeited to the Federal Government.
The three convicts’ began their journey to the Correctional Centre when they were arrested by operatives of the Commission, at three different locations in the state, for internet-related offences.
They were investigated, prosecuted and convicted.
In a related development, the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC also secured the conviction and sentencing of five internet fraudsters before Justices Adenike Akinpelu and Mahmoud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin.
The convicts are Oyedepo Olamilekan Benjamin, Suleiman Saheed Olayinka, Fakeye Tolulope Emmanuel , Great Ukueni and Adeshina Joseph Oluwaseun.
According to a statement on the verified social page of the anti-graft agency, the defendants who were prosecuted on different separate count charges before the judges pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Upon their guilty pleas, prosecuting counsels: Andrew Akoja, Mustapha Kaigama and Isabel Adeniran narrated the circumstances that led to the arrest of the defendants.
They urged the court to consider the plea of the defendants, the extra judicial statements and all the exhibits tendered to convict the defendants as charged.
Justice Akinpelu in her judgment sentenced Benjamin to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) and ordered the forfeiture of one Apple Iphone X; Hp laptop and the sum of $457 (Four Hundred and Fifty Seven United States Dollars) benefited from the unlawful activities to the Federal Government.
The Judge also sentenced Olayinka to six months imprisonment with an option of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) only and ordered that one Samsung A03 phone recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Justice Akinpelu equally sentenced Emmanuel to six months imprisonment with option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) only and ordered that the sum of $400 (Four Hundred United States Dollars), one phone and hp laptop belonging to the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.
On the other hand, Justice Abdulgafar sentenced Ukueni to six months imprisonment which is to be suspended and ordered the forfeiture of one Dell Laptop used as instrument of crime by the convict.
The court also sentenced Oluwaseun to six months imprisonment with an option of fine of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) only and ordered the forfeiture of one iphone 13 promax and sum of $250 (Two Hundred and Fifty United States Dollars) recovered from the convict.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC for internet-related offences. investigations were conducted on their respective cases, prompting their prosectution and conviction.
