Justices
Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin and Adebayo Yusuf
of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 convicted
and sentenced eight internet fraudsters to different jail terms.
The
convicts were part of the 48 students of the Kwara State University, KWASU, and
two residents of Malete arrested on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, during a
sting operation by operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC for
internet- related offences.
The
convicts are: Afolabi Habeeb Ajao, Mohammed Nabeel Ayara, Oluyedun Khalid
Bolaji, Oladele Israel Olatayo, Aransiola Joshua Adebisi, Olaleye Gbenga
Philip, Bright Moses and Ogunrinde Gabriel Ayomikun.
They
were jailed after pleading guilty to one- count separate charges.
The
charge against Ogunrinde reads:
“That
you, Ogunrinde Gabriel Ayomikun sometime between April 2023 and February 2024
in Ilorin, Kwara State within the judicial division of the Federal High Court,
did retain the sum of N3,500,000.00 (Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand
Naira) in your bank account number 2151747289 with the name: Ogunrinde Gabriel
Ayomikun domiciled with United Bank for African, which you knew to be proceeds
of unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable
under Section 20 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act,
2022”.
They
pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them individually.
Following
their “guilty" pleas, prosecution counsel, Adebayo Aliyu, Sesan Ola,
Mustapha Kiagama and Isabel Adeniran, reviewed the facts of the cases and
tendered the statements of the defendants and items recovered from them at the
point of arrest and were admitted in evidence.
Thereafter,
Justice Anyadike convicted and sentenced Oluyedun, Olaleye, Ogunrinde, Bright,
Aransiola and Oladele to a fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only)
each and ordered them to forfeit all the phones recovered from them to the government,
including balances in their bank accounts.
In
the same vein, Justice Yusuf convicted and sentenced the duo of Muhammed and
Afolabi to six months imprisonment each with an option of fine of N50,000
(Fifty Thousand Naira Only). The judge ordered that the phones, which they used
to perpetrate the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.
All the convicts bagged their jail terms for their involvement in internet fraud.
