The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan Zonal Command, has secured the conviction and sentencing of 11 people to various jail terms for internet fraud.
They were sentenced to prison by Justices Ladiran Akintola and Adebukola Lajide of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan and Justice Sinmisola Adeniyi of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta.
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, made this know in a press release dated 4 September, 2023.
The convicts include Olakunle Dave Edamisan, Samuel Opeyemi Enitan, Daniel Aanu Omoyajowo, Jonathan Emmannuel Opashi and Daramola Damilola Aliu.
Others are Olanrewaju Olamilekan Oluwaseun, Olaoluwa Daniel Adejobi, Akintola Akindeji Festus, Tijani Babatunde Adedayo, Sodiq Opeyemi Odunewu and Powei Ibelih Theophilus.
The convicts were prosecuted following their arrest for alleged cybercrime and other related internet fraud activities.
Upon their arraignments before Justices Akintola and Lajide of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan and Justice Sinmisola Adeniyi of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta, they all pleaded “guilty” to the one count separate charges filed against them.
Following their pleas, prosecution counsel, Olatunji Akintola, Umar Abiso, Shamsudeen Bashir, Adamu Sahabi, Zainab Tijani and Fatima Baba, reviewed the facts of the cases and prayed the courts to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.
Consequently, Justice Adeniyi convicted and sentenced Odunewu, Adedayo, Festus, Adejobi and Oluwaseun to one year imprisonment each without an option of fine.
Also, Justice Akintola convicted and sentenced Omoyajowo, Opashi and Aliu to one year imprisonment each; Edamisan to six months community service and Enitan to three months community service.
Powei was convicted and sentenced to six months community service. He will in addition, forfeit N500, 000.00 and N1.4million to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
However, Omoyajowo was given an option of N40, 000.00 fine, while Opashi, Aliu and Edamisan were given an option of N50, 000.00 fine each.
The convicts were ordered to restitute their various victims and forfeit all items recovered from them to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
