Kwara Court Jails Fake Spiritualist Over Internet Fraud

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has convicted and sentenced one Odeyemi Oluwaseun to one year in prison for internet fraud. The convict, a self-styled spiritualist, was prosecuted by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of internet fraud, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretenses.

Details of the Charges

Oluwaseun, who posed as a spiritualist, was accused of defrauding two victims by pretending to possess supernatural powers to influence the personal lives of others.

• Count One: The first charge involved an incident in December 2023, when Oluwaseun dishonestly induced a woman named Bose to send $3,200 worth of gift cards. He convinced her that the cards would be used to influence her ex-husband to return to her. He falsely represented himself as a female spiritualist, Lord Hill, using the email account hillor674@gmail.com.
• Count Two: The second charge, which occurred between August and September 2023, involved another victim, Schneider Alina. Oluwaseun deceived Alina into sending $4,500 worth of gift cards, promising that the cards would be used to control her ex-boyfriend and force him to return and marry her. In this instance, he posed as a female spiritualist with an Instagram account _Visions_by_Tendo_12.

Plea and Sentence

Upon being arraigned, Oluwaseun pleaded guilty to the charges. In his defence, his counsel did not dispute the facts of the case. The prosecution, led by Sesan Ola, presented evidence including Oluwaseun’s extrajudicial statements, the sum of $1,000 recovered from him, and the iPhone 15 and 2008 Toyota Camry car that were seized.

Justice Abdulgafar, presiding over the case, sentenced Oluwaseun to a six-month suspended prison term on each count. However, the judge also ordered the forfeiture of the $1,000, iPhone 15, and the 2008 Toyota Camry car to the federal government.

Background

Oluwaseun, a 23-year-old from Oyo State, had defrauded his victims by impersonating an American-based female spiritualist, claiming he had powers to help jilted women and estranged wives win back the affection of their partners. This conviction serves as another reminder of the growing issue of online fraud, particularly in the guise of spiritualists and fortune tellers exploiting vulnerable individuals.