Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured the conviction and sentence of thirty-six (36) internet fraudsters to various jail terms before Justices Uche Agomoh and E.U. Akpan of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State; Ladiran Akintola, K.B. Olawoyin, Bayo Taiwo and O.S. Adeyemi of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan.
The convicts are Ayodele Victor Ayodeji, Adebayo Kazeem Akanbi, Ajayi Charles Temitayo, Rokeeb Olamide Taiwo, Olaleye Adedolapo Emmanuel, Emiade Azeez Ayotunde, Azeez Ademola, Afolabi Mayowa Akinbobola, Shittu Waheed Adeleke, Franklyn Ibeh Kelechi, Olanrewaju Olaitan Quadri, Olawale Elijah Seyi Awofolaju, Samuel Olayemi Ademeso, Akindele Timothy Olatunde, Sholeye Gideon Olamilekan, Waheed Olamide Ahmod, Lawal Paul Jelili, Asaju Muhammad Numan and Badejo Adefemi Emmanuel.
Others are: Gomina Dennis Ozaveshe, Adio Hassan Taiwo, Adio Kehinde Hozaine, Adewunmi Adeboye Gabriel, John Oluwatimilehin Moses, Odeniyi Faruk Idowu, Owodunni Monsuru Abiodun, Sanwiyu Niyi Owonifari, Adeyinka Adewale Olujobi, Ogunbiyi Segun Joseph, Ayomide Oniyitan Oluwatosin, Badmus Faruk Kayode, Jimoh Sylvester Enahoro, Azeta Sunday Osaremeh, Lukuman Olatemo, Emmanuel Ebgiri Ogah and Ayomide Ibrahim Ishola.
The charge against Ayomide Ibrahim Ishola reads: “That you, Ayomide Ibrahim Ishola on or about October, 2018, in Ibadan within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, falsely represented yourself as a female from the United States of America with the name Lawrence Janet to one Ralph Wells via your Google Chat account, which representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence of impersonation contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 38, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.”
They were jailed after pleading guilty to one-count separate charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence, possession of fraudulent documents, impersonation and aiding in committing an offence upon arraignment by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC between April 24 and May 29, 2024.
All the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them in court as 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 court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
Consequently, Justice Agomoh convicted and sentenced Joseph, Oluwatosin and Kayode to one year imprisonment each without an option of fine, Enahoro to ten months imprisonment, while Osaremeh bagged six months imprisonment and Olatemo to four months imprisonment without an option of fine.
Also, Justice Akpan convicted and sentenced Owonifari to one and a half years imprisonment and Abiodun to one year imprisonment or a fine of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira).
Furthermore, Justice Olawoyin convicted and sentenced Ishola to one and a half years imprisonment or a fine of N1, 500, 000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) and Olujobi bagged six months imprisonment or a fine of N400, 000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira).
Justice Adeyemi convicted and sentenced Hozaine, Gabriel, Idowu and Ogah to six months community service each without an option of fine, as Idowu forfeited a silver coloured Toyota Camry car with registration number: GBE – 334 – AE to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
More so, Justice Taiwo convicted and sentenced Ozaveshe to four months community service or a fine of N150, 000.00 (One hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and Taiwo to five months community service or a fine of N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira).
Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced Adedolapo Emmanuel, Ayotunde, Ademola, Kelechi, Quadri and Moses to one year imprisonment each or fines of N50, 000. 00 (Fifty Thousand Naira), N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira), N20, 000. 00 (Twenty Thousand Naira), N30, 000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira), N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and N120, 000.00 (One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira) respectively.
Also, Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced Olamide Taiwo, Akinbobola and Adefemi Emmanuel to six months community service each or fines of N50, 000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira), N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) and N60, 000 .00 (Sixty Thousand Naira) respectively.
Furthermore, Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced Ayodeji, Akanbi and Adeleke to three months community service each or a fine of N20, 000.00 (Twenty Thousand Naira) each, while Temitayo, Awofolaju, and Jelili bagged three months community service each or a fine of N30, 000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) each.
Also, Olamilekan, Ahmod and Numan were convicted and sentenced to three months community service each or a fine of N25, 000.00 (Twenty-five Thousand Naira) each, while Ademeso also bagged three months community service or a fine of N50, 000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira) and Olatunde to three months community service or a fine of N40, 000.00 (Forty Thousand Naira).
Ayotunde forfeited one black Lexus ES 350 car with registration number: GGE – 665 – GY, Quadri forfeited a brown ES 300 vehicle with registration number: MEK – 39 – LK while Moses forfeited a Toyota Camry car with registration number: BDG – 144 – GF.
Also, Adefemi Emmanuel forfeited one grey coloured Lexus RX 300 vehicle with registration number: LND – 940 – CD with Chassis number: JT6HF1042YO11941, Abiodun forfeited a brown Mercedes Benz with Chassis number: WDC0G4K9GF102450, while Ishola forfeited a grey colour Toyota Highlander with registration number: RSH – 857 – CV.
Furthermore, Enahoro forfeited an ash coloured Toyota Camry with registration number: ABC – 658 – SE and Osaremeh forfeited one silver Honda Accord with registration number: KTU – 773 – DN among others to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
All the convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested by operatives of the Commission for internet-related offences. They were charged to court and convicted.
