The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Wednesday, secured the conviction of 15 internet fraudsters who had earlier pleaded guilty to the separate two-count charges preferred against them.
The convicts who were separately arraigned before Justices Olusola Adetujoye, O.A. Lajide and S.O. Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court on different number of charges include Adebola Sherrif, Adebayo Ifeoluwa Timilehin, Philip Daniel, Ifemadi Haruna Segun, Okeola Olajide James Bolanle, Akinjisola Ayodeji Francis, Giwa Usman Dolapo, and Olorunsola Sodiq Babatunde.
Others are Fatolu Moses Opeyemi, Bashiru Sodiq Omobolaji, Omowaye Oluwatosin Olamilekan, Badmus Yusuf Omobolaji, Lateef Ramon Olamilekan, Idowu Michael Oluwasegun and Okunola Samuel Olalekan.
Officers of the Commission had presented them for prosecution at different dates between January 22 and February 5, 2024 when different incriminating documents were presented to sustain the allegations against them.
They all pleaded guilty to their respective charges when read to them at the open court.
One of the charges reads: “That you, Okunola Samuel Olalekan on or about 9th of April, 2023 at Ibadan, Oyo State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intention to defraud Older One through the Google Chat Account: [email protected], did falsely represent yourself to be Joy Ella, a female from United States of America, thereby committed the offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
Consequent upon their plea, the judges convicted and sentenced Yusuf, Sodiq and Olamilekan to six months community service each, while Timilehin, Daniel, Segun, Bolanle, Ramon, Oluwasegun, Sherrif and Olalekan bagged one month community service each.
Opeyemi, Babatunde, Dolapo and Francis were handed two weeks community service each.
Yusuf was ordered to pay N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine 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 sentence.
All the convicts were ordered to make restitution to their various victims and forfeited all items recovered from them to the federal government.
