17 convicted in Oyo, Ogun over internet fraud

The Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction and sentencing of 17 internet fraudsters before Justices Bayo Taiwo, Ladoke Akintola, and Mohammed Owolabi of the State High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State and Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu of Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, on a separate one-count charge each.

A statement by the Head of Media & Publicity of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, said the jail terms range from two to nine months of community service, and one year in prison.

The convicts, according to Uwujaren, are Oduola Kunmi Ireola, Igbamidun Joshua Olamiposi, Ismael Fatai Olatunji, Osundele Oladapo Daniel, Olawale Isaac Adeleke, Olorunyomi Idowu Babatunde, Aneh Ojonimi, Olaide Iyanuoluwa Sadare, Akintola Babatunde Rasheed, Jamiu Babatunde Salam, Aluko Abayomi Oluwadamilare, Bello Ridwan Ayobami, Maleek Michael Ibrahim, Arasi Oluwaseun Tobi, Ganiu Fawaz Olalekan, Bello Ayoinde Olamilekan and Abiodun Taiwo Kareem.

They all pleaded ‘guilty’ to the one-count charge filed against each one of them by the EFCC.

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Consequently, prosecution counsel, Modupe Akinkoye, Oyelakin Oyediran, Oluwatoyin Owodunni, Musa Galadanchi, Abdulrasheed Suleiman, Mabas Mabur, and Samsudeen Bashir reviewed the facts of the cases and urged the courts to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.

Osundele was convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment while Arasi, Ganiu and Ibrahim bagged nine months jail term each.

Also, Akintola was convicted and sentenced to nine months of community service, Oduola, Jamiu, Aluko and Bello to six months of community service each while Igbamidun and Kareem bagged five months of community service each.

Furthermore, Olatunji was convicted and sentenced to four months of community service, Ayorinde to two months of community service while Olorunyomi, Ojonimi, Sadare were convicted and fined N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) each and Adeleke to N150,000 .00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) fine.

Justice Bayo Taiwo ordered that Osundele Oladapo Daniel pay the sum of $16,671. 00USD in restitution and forfeit one white colour Toyota Venza car worth N7million to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Other convicts were also ordered to restitute their victims and forfeit all items recovered from them to the government.