Four bag jail terms for internet fraud in Kwara
The Ilorin Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the convictions, on Tuesday, secured the conviction of a 400 Level student of the University of Ilorin (Unilorin), Joshua Ogizien, and three other persons, for offences bordering on internet fraud.
The three other convicts are Toheeb Muritala, a 200 Level Computer Science student, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, and Rasheed Temitope, a graduate of Bartholomew College of Health Technology, Shao.
Also sentenced is Olaoluwa Samuel of Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Delivering judgment, Justice Mahmood Abdulgafar of the Kwara High Court in Ilorin, on Tuesday, sentenced said the court relied on the plea of guilt entered by the defendants, the unchallenged testimonies of the prosecution witnesses and all the exhibits tendered.
The judge sentenced Messrs Ogizien and Muritala to one year imprisonment each at Mandala Correctional Centre, and ordered the forfeiture of the devices recovered from them.
He also ordered Mr Ogizien to forfeit the draft of N79,000, while Muritala should forfeit N220,000 draft, raised as restitution to the Federal Government.
The judge further sentenced Mr Temitope to six months imprisonment each on the two counts preferred against him, which would run concurrently.
The court, however, ordered the suspension of the sentence by one year to enable Messrs Ogizien and Muritala to complete their education at Unilorin and KWASU, respectively.
Mr. Samuel was also sentenced to one year imprisonment on count one, with option of fine of N50,000, and one-year imprisonment on count two without an option of fine.
The convict’s two phones and a draft of N32,000, which he raised as restitution, are to be forfeited to the federal government.
Justice Abdulgafar, who suspended the sentences by one year, also ordered that the convicts should report to Towoju Azeez of Mandala Correctional Centre during the period of the suspension.
The convicts were caught by EFCC following credible intelligence reports on the activities of fraudsters swindling unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned income within Ilorin and its environs.
