Ex-Deputy Rector’s son, two others jailed for cyber fraud in Nigeria’s middle-belt Kwara

Nigeria

Kehinde Akinpelu

The Nigeria’s middle belt Kwara, a Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, secured the conviction of a certain Olaoye Jamiu Olarewaju, son of a former Deputy Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, over offences bordering on cybercrime.

Olaoye was convicted alongside one Badmus Ridwan Moyosore and one Abdulsalam Ibrahim over similar offence by Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in the city capital of Ilorin.

The trio of Olaoye, Badmus and Abdulsalam, who were prosecuted on separate charge by the anti-graft agency pleaded guilty to their various charges.

Following their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Rasheedat Alao called witnesses who are operatives of the Commission to review the facts of the cases.

According to the witness who testified against Olaoye, the defendant fraudulently defrauded one of his victims to the tune of $2000 (Two Thousand United States Dollars), while the testimony against Badmus revealed that the defendant swindled his victim the sum of $200 (Two Hundred United States Dollars).

In the same vein, the testimony against Abdulsalam was to the effect that the defendant was involved in “sugar baby relationship scam” and that over N18million suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities passed through his account.

The extra-judicial statements of the defendants, fraudulent documents printed from their devices and items recovered from them at the point of arrest were tendered and admitted in evidence.

Alao, thereafter urged the court to take judicial notice of the plea of the defendants, exhibits tendered and the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and convict the defendants as charged.

In her judgment, Justice Akinpelu held that the EFCC had established its cases against the defendants. Consequently, the court pronounced the defendants guilty.

The judge sentenced Olaoye to a term of six months imprisonment with N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) as option of fine. The court also ordered that iphone which he used to perpetrate the crime and the draft of N400, 000.00 (Four Hundred Thousand Naira), which he raised as restitution be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Similarly, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Badmus to six months imprisonment with N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) as option of fine. Two phones and laptop used by the convict to perpetrate the crime were also forfeited to the Federal Government.

In the same token, Justice Akinpelu sentenced Abdulsalam to six months imprisonment with N150, 000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) as option of fine.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of a Toyota Camry Car, two phones and laptop used by the convict as instrumentality of the crime.