Kwara Court Jails Student, Three Others for Internet Fraud

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Monday, December 9, 2024, convicted a student, Akanbi Akorede Afeez, to two years imprisonment for internet fraud. Afeez was arraigned on a single-count charge related to online fraud, in which he was accused of dishonestly inducing a foreign national, Dinero Enviado, to send him gift cards worth $551. Afeez, who used the alias “Erdis,” pretended to be a white woman involved in a romantic relationship with Enviado. He was found guilty under sections 321 and 324 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.

In a separate case, the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also secured the conviction of three other suspects before Justice Haleema Saleeman of the Kwara State High Court. The individuals, Oladejo Ibrahim Abiodun, Yusuf Adewale Gbadeyan, and Adeoye David Oluwatimileyin, were all convicted on one-count charges of internet fraud and pleaded guilty to the offenses.

For instance, Adeoye was charged with impersonating someone named Sierra and deceiving J. Miguel Montaya into sending him $300 under the pretense of a romantic relationship. The charge against him was punishable under sections 321 and 324 of the Penal Code Law.

During the proceedings, EFCC counsel Rasheedat Alao and Victoria Igbodo presented witnesses and provided evidence, including extra-judicial statements and items recovered from the defendants at the time of their arrest. These included the proceeds of their fraudulent activities.

The court, after reviewing the facts, sentenced the defendants as follows:

• Abiodun was sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of N400,000. Additionally, his iPhone 13 Pro and $100 were forfeited to the Federal Government, and he was ordered to pay restitution of $400 to his victim through the EFCC.
• Gbadeyan received a six-month prison sentence or a fine of N300,000. The court also ordered the forfeiture of $300 CAD, an iPhone 12, and a Samsung phone used in the crime.
• Oluwatimileyin was sentenced to eight months in prison or a fine of N250,000, with the forfeiture of $300 and an iPhone 12 to the Federal Government.

As part of his sentence, Afeez was ordered to sweep and clean the premises of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin for two weeks. His iPhone 14 Pro Max and HP laptop, used in the commission of the fraud, were also forfeited to the Federal Government.

The convicts were arrested by EFCC operatives from the Ilorin Zonal Directorate for their involvement in internet-related fraud and were subsequently prosecuted in court.